Illusions of Grandeur
by I'm not ofreakingkay
Summary: Humans want a change, so they'll do anything to get it. But what happens when that change results in an era of disaster that they're not ready for? It's the year 3247 C.E., and things have changed, but was it really for the better? (I'm rewriting this because it deviated from its original path. You can read my profile for more details.)
1. Extremely Important Notice: Please Read!

Unfortunately, the story has deviated from its original plot, so I am rewriting it completely. I will replace the chapters when they are ready and will remove this message I do. Rest assured that you won't be missing out. My writing _has_ improved over the time that I was away, so know that lots of details will be changed. Sorry for the inconvenience, but I just don't like how I was writing out my idea. I love it so much that I don't have the heart to leave it ruined because I'm too lazy to fix my mistakes. However, don't expect the update to happen for a few weeks (but maybe it will happen in a few days since I started rewriting a few days ago. We'll see).

Much love and hopes for forgiveness,

I'm not ofreakingk

* * *

April 26, 2019

(Update!) Chapters 1, 2, 3 and 4 have been rewritten and uploaded. Chapter 1 didn't get too many major changes, but I still recommend that you read it. Chapters 2, 3, and 4, however, have been given a serious overhaul and this will continue until all of the chapters are written and posted. This post will remain until Chapter 5 is posted. After that, I will take it down.


	2. Chapter 1

**Summary:** Humans want a change, so they'll do anything to get it. But what happens when that change results in an era of disaster that they're not ready for? It's the year 3247 C.E., and things have changed, but was it really for the better? And as a mortal, answer me this: if you knew that the world was going to change, would you be ok with it? And by change, we mean the ultimate, reality-distorting, probability-defying type of change that leads to a new world order. An order where gods and monsters are no longer acknowledged (or even remembered!), and where humanity is at its prime in the eyes of evolution and industry: artificial intelligence that can emulate human emotion, supercomputers that seek the Ultimate Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything (42, shh!), and Douglas Adams' story The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy inevitably replacing the Bible's influence in moral ambiguity?

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Heros of Olympus, the Bible, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, or any other stories that exist today that I may reference in this story. There will be liberal use of Wikipedia and other sources that I may use for specific points or details. Any characters that resemble real-life individuals are purely coincidental.

 **Chapter 1**

 _"The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious. It is the fundamental emotion that stands at the cradle of true art and true science."_

 _― Albert Einstein, "The World As I See It"_

The year is 3247 C.E., and the world has evolved drastically since the twenty-first century. The technological industry has advanced to near unreal levels and almost looks like something out of the old 1960's show "The Jetsons". Average houses now look like small domes held at an apex hundreds of feet in the air, flying cars, and the lack of real plants within populated society. It is still fascinating to me when I see how much the mortals have changed; how much they've strayed away from paganism and have chosen more monistic religions. I remember the religions named Zoroastrianism with Ahura Mazda and Angra Menyu; the Egyptians with Ra and Amon-Ra; the Celtics, the Greeks, Romans, Native Americans, Shinto, and the Norse. Yet, all of them are but a distant memory; a figment of the mortal imagination.

Now they have moved on and, since the year 2087, humans have slowly swayed away from religion and have realized that it seems to be holding them back. After all, the Dark Ages has prevented six-hundred years of scientific discovery in Europe; the rest of the world had moved on. So from then on, humans began to depend more on themselves than higher beings, and have, henceforth, become arrogant and self-proclaimed "Masters of the Universe". Since then, the governments of the world had come together and devised a plan to eradicate all of religion as a whole.

It was a tough struggle that caused much destruction and grief for many, but it took until 2786 to finally remove most-if not all-known ties to religion. As a result, the deities who were not connected to everlasting domains faded, and the ones who remained were weakened beyond comprehension. All shrines, temples, texts, and religious lands were destroyed or sacked. Tombs were raided and mosques were burned to the ground.

Of course, there were many mortals who were against the removal of religion. Those select individuals called themselves The Immortals, as they believed their beliefs would last forever as long as they remained. Unfortunately, they were all hunted down and killed, be it an assassination or public execution. Either way, they were no more by the year 2998.

But I digress. The reason I'm telling you this is very important, and it's for your eyes and ears alone.

I, Clotho, as well as my sisters Lachesis and Atropos are some of the last deities–other than the slumbering Primordials and few Olympians–who remain a part of the Greek and Roman Pantheons. There is one last prophesy that was spoken through Apollo by Ananke before he faded from the added strain to his weakness, a prophecy that will determine the futures of the remaining deities and their descendants. And it begins like this:

"It begins with the death of birth,

And it stands as the loss of Earth,

And it calls for Wisdom's pass,

And it ends with Heaven's crass;

Preventable through Destroyer's wrath."

This is our last hope to preserve our existence, and until it is fulfilled, we will hold onto our strength to see it to the end.

Now, to begin, I will tell you about Richard Lail, a professional archaeologist, and historian who specializes in recovering old artifacts and places that were lost to time.

Richard "Rick" Lail sat in one of the chairs in his home. He was looking through files in his holographic database. Pictures of old paintings, iPhones, vases, cooking supplies from the twenty-third century, and photos taken of the old states before the Government Rise of 2091 (also referred to as the Third Iconoclasm since the Byzantine Empire in the eighth and ninth centuries by The Immortals in 2975).

Rick sighed in boredom. He'd looked through these files millions of times and he'd not found anything new. The Government had destroyed so much of mythical history that it was extremely difficult to find anything other than small artifacts. The Museums were barely able to salvage, and photograph some ancient texts and stories before the physical copies were taken and burned.

He dragged his finger on the mouse pad (they still had them, surprisingly) and exited out of that specific file. He was about to shut the power off when a message from the Capitan came up. Out of curiosity, Richard opened the file and saw that it was an old PDF of an Old New York book. The message that came with the PDF file said "You'll find this to be quite interesting, my man. Seems we'll be going for another adventure soon."

Richard snorted, and scratched his graying hair. "Whatever you say, boss." He scrolled through, reading the information provided. Strangely, the file wasn't about the discovery of Old New York, or anything that had to do with society at the time, but it was more on a group called the Olympians, demigods, and a battle that happened in places previously named the Big Apple and Greece. Events that would be considered impossible for everyone now, but Richard Lair cared little for what they thought about history. He just wanted to know what it was like over a thousand years ago. Maybe even further than that.

He scrolled and read and absorbed the information like an excited sponge. Basking in the new knowledge of the supposed stories of the past. The Second Titanomachy and Gigantomachy. It was amazing. Seven children of the gods who fought for their lives and the lives of the rest of the world. Two camps of half-gods who clashed since the war with Greece and Rome in the fourth century B.C.E. One demigod who helped in the defeat of a Time Lord and refused godhood out of love for an Athenian girl.

He continued to scroll. Hours had passed and dinner was skipped out of excitement. That was until Richard reached a final chapter in the story. "The Destroyer's Ascension and Slumber".

It read:

 _"Gaea's forces were crumbling, and the Giants were nearly defeated. The only giant still alive was Porphyrion – who was fighting against Zeus and Jason. Percy and the rest of the seven were helping with killing the remaining monsters and protecting the survivors._

 _"You will never win, Porphyrion!" Zeus boomed as he aimed his Master Bolt at the wounded Giant. "Your forces are defeated, and Gaea is still asleep. Give up!" and he threw the bold at him._

 _Porphyrion's scowl turned into a knowing grin when Zeus threw the bold. "You're a fool, Zeus, a fool. Have you not yet realized that we share domains? Your Master Bolt has no effect on me!" and the bolt struck. There were a loud boom and a humongous cloud of dust that rose to cover Porphyrion._

 _Zeus watched in horror as Porphyrion appeared from the cloud unscathed and clutching the lightning bolt in his bare hand._

 _The Giant King's grin became crooked, and his eyes found Jason holding his gladius in a loose grip. The Roman demigod was too tired, too slow, to dodge the Giant's reaching hand. Porphyrion grabbed Jason and squeezed the demigod just enough to get a reaction._

 _Zeus was broken out of his stupor when he heard his son's cry of pain. "Jason!" He glared, enraged, at the Giant. "Unhand my son, Giant, or I will blast you into Oblivion!"_

 _Porphyrion laughed at Zeus' attempt at intimidation. To him, the King of the Gods looked like a child in the throes of a tantrum – even if Porphyrion was actually younger than the god. "You amuse me, Zeus. Have you paid me no attention? I have your son and bolt; you are no match for me! I was born to be your doom, and your deaths would be enough to avenge my fallen brothers. But first, mother's slumber shall come to an end." With that said, he began to squeeze Jason until the boy's body could no longer take the pressure and exploded with a loud squelch. Blood, muscles, and bones were left scattered on the grass._

 _Zeus yelled in anguish at the loss of his son and the gods and demigods who witnessed the scene cried out with him._

 _Zeus was about to retaliate but was stopped when the ground rumbled and everyone – including himself – were forced to the ground._

 _An ancient, feminine laugh so manic and twisted rang out. "Finally, I am free!" The voice cackled as a HUGE dirt hand burst from the earth. The hand grasped at the ground and seemed to be pulling the rest of a body from the very earth itself. The ground rose to look like mountains as the body's back began to appear. A large head rose and its eyes opened to reveal insane muddy-brown eyes and a cruel grin. "The gods shall fall, and I shall rule once again!" she cackled._

 _The sound of a sword being drawn drew Gaea's attention. She scanned the faces before her until they landed on one son of Poseidon, who had his sword – Anaklusmos – pointed straight at her with a scowl on his face. She grinned wide at the boy standing protectively in front of his comrades. "Perseus Jackson," she drawled (still crouching like an animal), and reached out for Percy as if waiting for him to give her his hand. "How lovely to see you in person, my beloved grandson. The one who defeated many of my titan sons in single combat and other great beasts of Greece." She smiled cruelly at him. "I will enjoy tearing everything you hold dear to pieces while you watch…" Gaea's beaconing hand clawed and she swatted Porphyrion away and brought her ginormous fist above her head and smashed it into the ground, causing the earth to crack and shake upon impact. Large spikes shot up from the ground and impaled the remaining monsters and many of the demigods who were not yet flashed away by the gods to the Camps._

 _Percy watched in horror as gods, monsters, and demigods alike were skewered and killed in an instant. Annabeth and Frank fell to the spikes and Apollo, Aphrodite, Dionysus, Hephaestus, and Demeter suffered the same fate, as did as many of his comrades._

 _At Annabeth's scream of shock and agony, Percy was left paralyzed upon the realization of her death. He could faintly hear the anguished yell from Athena._

 _Gaea cackled in pure glee at the pain and terror that permeated the air. Porphyrion – who was barely conscious from being swatted into Mount Olympus – saw that the once caring Mother Earth – who only wanted to know that her children were safe – was reduced to a psychotic maniac who relished in the suffering of others._

 _Upon hearing Gaea's cackling, Percy snapped back to reality and saw red. So much red that even he nearly couldn't tell the difference of friend or foe. It just blended together into a deep crimson fueled by his combined rage and sorrow. With a power-filled yell, the earth rumbled to near world shattering levels and the oceans burst from their sandy beaches and bent to the will of their greatest child. Storm clouds formed in the heavens and a large cumulonimbus cloud covered the once clear sky. Rain fell hard enough to hurt and thunder boomed._

 _Percy, without thinking, brought his hands to the side and pushed forward with enough force to push a boulder. The water from the sea rushed towards Gaea like a geyser. Gaea shouted in shock as she was dosed in tons of scorching hot water, making her once dry dirt body muddy._

 _Gaea shrieked in anger, making the ground shake harder than it did before, and shot a muddy column from her hand at Percy in anger. "Damnable boy!"_

 _Percy still had some sense left to dodge and charge at the Earth Goddess. Percy's aching gut clenched even tighter as magma shot out of the ground as he ran and launched itself at the Earth Mother. He didn't know what came over him then, but he did know that he was glowing green and that he began speaking in a language unknown to him and everyone else there…save for Gaea herself – who could never forget the language of her birth. No being other than she and her siblings could speak it fluently, as they had been the only ones to know the language before it became a distant memory._

 _Gaea's eyes widened in fear when she finally understood what was being said._

 ** _"From dust and ash, we rose. From dawn till dusk, we live. From fear and love, we are wise. Through empathy and apathy, we choose to be. I, Chaos, through Perseus Jackson, son of Poseidon, god of the seas, call upon the forces of the universe to expel Gaea, Primordial of the Earth, from her place as the Earth, for she has forsaken her role as Earth Mother and succumbed to Erebus' darkness. May she suffer in the Void for her sins, and the End never shows mercy to her soul. As Chaos decrees, so it shall be done."_**

 _Gaea felt her very soul being torn and pulled in different directions as if being sucked into a black hole. She screamed in agony and clawed at her chest where her heart should be. Her head faced the sky, the rain making her muddy face look like it was melting and her mouth was open in a silent shriek. She heaved silver ichor onto the ground and clutched at her stomach._

 _Everyone watched in horror as Mother Earth tore up her insides and suffered a fate that seemed worse than death. Percy, on the other hand, was on the verge of passing out. He had blood trickling from his nose, eyes, ears, and mouth and was shivering uncontrollably. His head felt heavy, and his vision was darkening to black, but he fought the darkness and walked up to Gaea, who was now on her side, clutching at her neck and shivering._

 _Gaea's eyes were scrunched up in pain, but she saw Percy and tried to glare hatefully at him. She began to speak in a rasping voice that shook the earth only a little. **"Cadis, et ka cadis cun zeptanum ra-mun! Ein…crum capilium…ten zait..."** She ended, and then she was no more as her body, mind, and soul were sent to Oblivion._

 _Percy dropped Riptide and fell to his knees. The world began to spin, and he finally succumbed to his injuries._

 _'What the Hades…?' was his last thought before he fainted under the rain._

 _A few months passed since then, Percy was left in a coma and the fallen were given their funerals and burned in pyres. The day Percy woke up was the day everything would change. The fates had come to Olympus and proclaimed that the mantle of the Earth needed to be filled or the Earth and other planets would cease to exist. They proclaimed that Perseus was the only one who could take Gaea's place as the Primordial of the Earth, and that there was no other way around it, for Ananke had made it so. Percy, who only wanted to be with Annabeth, was forced to accept. His reasoning was that if he did not become the Earth, then the Earth and everything it held – including the Underworld – would cease to exist and, as a result, Annabeth would never rest in peace and he would never be able to see her again (This was also confirmed by the Fates, unfortunately)._

 _Since that day, Percy suffered in both mind and body. Because he was born half human, he was exposed to many human emotions: sorrow, pain, greed, envy, jealousy… He was envious of the mortals; they were able to see their loved ones when they died and live with them in the afterlife. He was jealous of them. He wanted what they seemed to fear so much: death._

 _If it hadn't been for the Gigantomachy, then he and Annabeth would still be together._

 _Years passed, decades went by, and he began to resent the mortals; he began to hate them._

 _The Olympians who weren't sent to Tartarus became worried for his sake. Poseidon could barely approach his son anymore (not like he ever did often before), but he did notice that Perseus and Athena had become close. Both had mourned in the death of Annabeth Chase, the brightest of Athena's children, and comforted each other until Athena and he learned to let go._

 _That was two decades before Percy decided to go down to the mortal world for the first time in half a century._

 _Percy was strolling through the old battlefield in Greece. The place where everything took a turn for the worst. He sat on the grass and stared out into the distance. The sun's life-giving rays warmed his skin, and a small breeze blew through his ebony hair. The silvery-white clouds sailed their way across the light blue sky. Percy could make out the sounds of birds chirping as they flew from tree to tree. He remained seated for a few more minutes basking in the warm rays of the sun before standing up and flashed back to the United States-Manhattan, to be more specific._

 _His mother, Sally Jackson, was going to turn ninety-six tomorrow and Percy wanted to spend it with her. She was the only one he would visit, and the only mortal who held a true place in his heart, so for the past fifty years he visited her. She and Paul had moved to a house they built at Montauk forty-seven years ago and were now living happily together. Sally had her book published and it had become the New York Times #1 Best Seller. She'd based it on his life before he'd become a Primordial and had made a living off of them. She even went as far as to write stories about the Egyptians and the Norse. Percy remembered when she had him write down what he knew of the Greek gods and the heroes of old. Heck, she even encouraged he be himself and narrate it._

 _Let's just say that it was REALLY fun._

 _Percy appeared about a block away from the beach house. It was around eight at night and Sally would probably be going to bed soon, assuming that she wasn't asleep already. Percy walked up to the front door and rang the doorbell. There were two buzzing noises and a click, but nothing happened after. Percy waited patiently for a few minutes and buzzed again._

 _There was still no response._

 _Percy frowned in confusion. His mother should be home by now, maybe she's asleep. Percy stepped back to look around the front porch for a hidden key or something that would open the door. He didn't want to flash inside and risk his mother walking out of wherever she was and seeing him-she's been alive for this long, he wouldn't want to lose someone else in his life._

 _Finally, he found a spare key hidden under a flower pot. He picked it up and opened the door. He made sure to put the key back before going inside._

 _"Mom? It's Percy, I'm home!" He heard the sound of water being turned off and the bathroom door opening._

 _An aged voice that filled the Primordial with relief called out. "Percy? Is that you?"_

 _Percy sighed, thankful that she was alright. "Yeah, it's me!" He walked towards the bathroom, which was around the corner and spotted his mother peaking her now silvery head out the door with a towel wrapped around her. Even though she looked old and frail, Percy thought she was the most beautiful woman alive. "Hey, mom." He greeted._

 _Sally Jackson beamed, the wrinkles around her eyes became more pronounced, indicating that she smiled a lot. She opened the door wider and hugged her son. "Ohh, honey, I've missed you," She frowned and moved back, sending him an accusatory look. "You know, you should visit me more often, young man. The last time I heard from you was on Mother's Day, and that was three months ago."_

 _Percy smiled sheepishly and scratched the back of his neck. "Sorry about that. Dad wanted me to spend it with Amphitrite this time."_

 _Sally's eyes softened. "Anyway, let me get dressed and you can help me make dinner in the kitchen. How does that sound?"_

 _Percy smiled down at her. "That sounds great."_

 _*line break*_

 _Percy and Sally made some sandwiches and blue cookies for dinner. They both caught up with each other and Percy was informed of current events in the mortal world. Gangs, robberies, terrorism, and killings were still going around. Percy was frustrated with the mortals because they hadn't stopped fighting with each other, but let it go when Sally said it was just part of human nature to be violent and compete with each other, and that there were still good things about humanity that tend to outweigh the bad. Percy agreed with her, but he still didn't like it._

 _They continued to talk until Sally grew tired and went to bed. Percy said goodnight and sat at the table silently. He cleared his head of all negative thoughts and decided to set his mind on making tomorrow the best day ever for his mom._

 _Morning came and Sally woke up to the smell of bacon. Confused, she got up from her bed and slowly made her way to the kitchen. It didn't take her long to see that her son was preparing breakfast with her light blue "Mother Knows Best" apron on and a spatula in hand. Percy was whistling while flipping pancakes when she cleared her throat. The poor thing jumped a foot in the air and nearly burned himself on the little stove._

 _Sally laughed at her son's plight._

 _Percy blushed silver when he realized that he let his guard down, but it was his mom, she was harmless._

 _Well…_

 _Percy smiled down at her. "Happy birthday, mom," He gestured towards the finished pancakes that were on the plate next to another plate with a paper towel and sizzling turkey bacon. "Breakfast's almost ready, so you can go ahead and have a seat. I already set up the table for us."_

 _Sally took a whiff of the air and sighed in delight. Percy made pumpkin spice pancakes this time. Her favorite. She hugged him and sat at the kitchen table. "It smells delicious Percy."_

 _Percy gave her a crooked smile. "Well, I learned from the best."_

 _Sally nodded. "Hestia's an amazing cook."_

 _"That she is," he agreed as he brought the food to the table and they ate in peace. The day continued and Percy took his mom out to Central Park for a stroll. They enjoyed doing that every now and then, but Sally always loved coming to the park with Percy and Paul before the old high school teacher died three years before from a heart attack._

 _Percy and Hestia had helped her get through the loss by reminding her that they would both be in Elysium when they died. Percy even told her that he would make sure Hades played his part in their reunion. Sally Jackson couldn't be more grateful to have Percy as her son._

 _But all happy times must come to an end._

 _There was a loud BOOM and the ground rumbled. Bombs went off in seemingly random places in the park. The once vibrant green trees were now burning with orange flames. Gunfire was heard and the screams and cries of innocents rang out in the air._

 _"Percy!" Sally yelled, grabbing onto her son's arm._

 _Percy grabbed at his mother and began to run away from the carnage. Someone was shooting at them, so Percy carried Sally bridal style as he ran. He had to dodge and deflect the bullets with his earth powers._

 _Sally and Percy saw a grenade heading in their direction. Percy quickly covered Sally and willed a dome of obsidian to protect them. The two clutched at each other in the darkness and heard the BANG of the bomb against the shield. Percy's enhanced hearing could clearly make out the crying and the screaming. It all reminded him of the Giant war; the pain and suffering he'd experienced and the deaths that he'd seen with his own two eyes would drive any man insane. It was only thanks to his nature as a demigod and the experience that he's built since he was twelve that he wasn't a madman. Percy squeezed his mother closer, making sure to cover her ears, shielding her from the horrors of the world as much as possible._

 _To them, it seemed like hours passed until it was complete silence. Percy didn't dare bring down the barrier because he knew the attackers were most likely waiting for them outside. Instead, Percy willed the Earth to rise and swallow them whole. He didn't care if they were curious innocents or tainted humans, he just wanted them gone and away from his mom. Absolutely NO ONE was going to hurt Sally Jackson and live._

 _When he knew the coast was clear after expanding his consciousness and scanning the area, Percy brought down the barrier and helped his mother stand. Once they both stood, Sally, gasped and covered her mouth with her hands, tears welling up in her eyes. She dug her head into Percy's chest in an attempt to look away from the genocide._

 _Bodies were strewn about the trees, floating in the lake, and lying limply on the grass. Large fires burned the trees and set the grass aflame. It was like Tartarus had taken the form of Central Park and warped it into a battleground. One that clearly lost the war._

 _Percy felt Sally's grip weaken and let go to clutch at her stomach. Percy shouted in worry when he felt her collapse. "Mom!" He helped her sit on the grass. Doing so, he saw the one thing that he dreaded the most. There was blood seeping through Sally's shirt from a bullet wound. Percy began to tear up when he saw his mother's quickly paling face and the sweat on her brow. He tried applying pressure to the wounds to slow the blood flow, but it was no use, the blood kept on flowing. Percy ripped open the shirt to see the actual damage only to see that her stomach had taken a direct hit._

 _The young Protogenoi knew that she would die within minutes if it wasn't treated properly, but there was nothing he could do that wouldn't make the situation worse. If he tried removing the bullet he might be able to close the wound, but without the proper medical training, he could seriously hurt his mom. And if he chose to use his powers to heal the wound the bullet would still be stuck inside and it could dig deeper into her stomach and cause even more damage. He couldn't even call Apollo since the sun god was currently reforming in Tartarus._

 _That's when the sad truth came crashing down on him. Sally Jackson, the most amazing woman on the planet, and his mom was going to die from the combined effort of a bullet and her stomach acid. He didn't dare to let go of her stomach, choosing to try even harder to stop the blood flow, but it still wasn't working._

 _Percy began to cry even harder when his mom's hand rested on his cheek, wiping away the tear tracks._

 _Sally smiled reassuringly up at him as if knowing she was going to die and accepting it with open arms. Unfortunately, Percy didn't feel the same. Not for her. "Percy, my son, don't cry. Please don't cry for me. You said it yourself, I'll be seeing Paul again. I love you so much, and I am so proud of you. You are the most amazing gift I could ever have been given by the gods, and having you with me today was a blessing. Any mother would wish to see their children before they died and spend their last moments with them before they pass, and to have that opportunity is something that I will never stop thanking the Fates for, even if they're the ones who weave our strings," Sally began to cough, "I love you, Percy,…and…thank you for…being my son…"_

 _Sally Jackson was no more._

 _Percy had stopped crying to listen to his mother's last words. And when he stopped hearing her voice…he lost it. His eyes shed tears like waterfalls and he cried for him the last person he truly held close to his heart. She'd been the reason he had held on to his sanity when Annabeth died, and she was the last person he would ever say he loved like family. The gods were dead to him, the monsters were to be killed on sight, and he no longer hated the mortals. He despised them, detested them; he wanted them to suffer._

 _" **You, it is you who will suffer! Never…will humans…understand us…** "_

 _'Those worthless brats who plagued the Earth were the reason they're dead. Gaea only wanted to fix what the humans had ruined of her domain, and his friends died because of it. Today was Sally's birthday, and because of some foolish group of human "terrorists", she's dead. The humans preach that they deserve to live above all other creatures, but all they do is kill and destroy. There is no reason for them to treat the others like filth other than to make themselves feel superior.'_

 _Gabe is an amazing example of human filth._

 _And so, Perseus Jackson's mentality delved deeper into the abyss of madness. Rain fell, just like that day. Thunder boomed and the earth shook as it raged at the humans and their audacity to be alive. "Father Earth" was not happy with his inherited grandchildren, not in the slightest._

 _In his rage, Percy destroyed Central Park and the surrounding buildings. Waves of earth crashed into buildings, trees grew from under cement and broke any form of construction in seconds, droughts caused buildings to collapse, earthquakes shook to earth-shattering degrees, and Earthborn rose from the dirt and attacked the mortals mercilessly._

 _Percy himself just clutched onto his mother's corpse like a life-line while rocking back and forth, a sobbing wreck. Past his eyelids, Percy could see bright flashes of light appearing and he could hear weapons being drawn. Someone gasped and another yelled out a "No!" but Percy didn't care, he just wanted to be alone._

 _"Perseus, stop this madness! Call off the Earthborn and cease the wreckage!" a thunderous voice demanded._

 _"Percy, man, you need to stop!" another cried._

 _"Percy! Snap out of it!" Someone else said. "What would Sally say?"_

 _And that did it. The destruction ceased and the attacking Earthborn dissolved into dust and returned to the earth._

 _Percy's eyes were wide and he looked to be completely paralyzed. Awareness finally set in, and Percy saw that he and Sally's body were now in the very center of a humongous crater while the gods were standing on the outskirts with their respective weapons out and armor on. Poseidon, Zeus, and Athena each slid down the crater to reach the Primordial to try and comfort him._

 _"Percy," Athena said slowly, her hand was held out for him to take, but Percy only saw Gaea's. She offered her hand to him so that she could take everything he loved away._

 _Percy shook his head and scrambled away, Sally's body still in his clutches. 'Gaea will not have his mom. Nevernevernever…'_

 _Poseidon frowned at his son's behavior and frowned even deeper when he saw that Percy was nearly crushing Sally's body. Poseidon also noticed the slight fear in the Primordial's eyes. The lack of acceptance was replaced by bits and pieces of anguish, horror, and fear. They'd have to tread carefully, so he raised his hands above his head in surrender and took tentative steps towards his son. "Son, please, we're not going to hurt you."_

 _Percy shook his head and kept his eyes on Sally. "She's dead. They killed her."_

 _"Who killed her, Percy?" Poseidon asked carefully._

 _Percy's eyes hardened, and his voice resembled that of someone who wanted nothing but the deaths of others. "The Mortals. The Mortals killed her. They killed mom, they killed Annabeth; it's their fault." He growled and the earth shook._

 _Poseidon froze in place, using his power as the Earth Shaker to remain upright, though, the others weren't as fortunate. "Perseus," Percy's head snapped to him, the boy's eyes holding a kind of madness in them that would make anyone freeze. Poseidon gave Zeus a look, and the King of the Gods nodded, ready when needed. Poseidon looked back at Percy with determination, "Percy, you need to stop," He looked back at Sally's still from being crushed in his son's arms. "You need to let her go. We will give her the proper funeral rites and I will make sure that the ones who did this are punished. Isn't that right, Zeus? We'll make sure the mortals who killed all these people are punished accordingly?"_

 _Zeus nodded his assent. "Yes, brother. I will send Thanatos himself to collect their souls and throw them into Tartarus if needed." Zeus looked to Percy and crouched in front of the Primordial – who clutched Sally even closer. "I will also make sure that your mother is sent to Elysium. I will talk to Hades about making it possible, but you need to give us her body. She will not be able to enter the Underworld without the rites."_

 _Percy slowly looked down at Sally's body. "Today was her birthday. She turned ninety-six," (Hera began to cry upon hearing those words) "She didn't deserve to die, not like this. She should have died just like Paul: naturally. Not with a bullet through her stomach." Percy choked back a sob. "She must have been in so much pain, but she still tried to tell me she was okay with dying, that she can finally see Paul again."_

 _Artemis slid down with Hera, Ares, and Hermes._

 _"That's right, Percy," Hermes began. "She'll be reunited with her husband. She'll be happy for the rest of eternity," Hermes walked up to Percy's side and placed his hand on the younger's shoulder. "But you need to let her go. You wouldn't want her to constantly feel worried about you in the afterlife, would you? You don't want that, right?"_

 _Percy shook his head. "No," he said meekly._

 _"That's right. You don't want that," Hermes nodded. The Messenger god slowly took Sally from Percy, but the Primordial refused to let go. "Percy, let her go," He said, but Percy still refused to do so._

 _Zeus and Poseidon had to restrain him while Hermes carried her bridal style. Percy struggled in their grip, trying to shake them off so that he could get his mother back. "No, give her back! She's MINE. Give her BACK!" Percy's strength was incredible, and Ares had to rush in as well to help keep the Protogenoi at bay. Percy cried when Hermes flashed away with his mother, the thought of her being gone forever having been confirmed by the action. "The Mortals. I'm going to kill them. They did this! GIVE HER BACK!"_

 _Athena, Hera, and Artemis were still on the dirt watching as Percy broke down in Zeus, Ares, and Poseidon's arms. The poor thing had already lost much, barely recovering, and now the pain of loss was rushing back to him like a tsunami. The earthquake became stronger as Percy's grief took over._

 _"No!"_

 _"Perseus! Calm yourself!" Zeus said. "Your will would destroy everything if you continue! You are a Protogenoi, the power you wield will only cause destruction if you continue on this path!"_

 _Percy wrenched his arm from Zeus and elbowed him in the face. "I don't care! The humans took her away from me! I'll make them pay for it! They will ALL pay!"_

 _Zeus walked backward a few steps while clutching his nose. He opened his eyes to examine the wound. Golden ichor was flowing from his nose and it was smeared all over his hand. The King of the gods clenched his teeth in anger and glared at the struggling deity. Zeus snapped his fingers, willing celestial bronze chains that were infused with imperial gold and stygian iron to appear on Percy's wrists and ankles._

 _Perseus roared in rage. "ARGH!"_

 _Poseidon and Ares stepped back when that happened. Perseus was now chained to the ground. "Zeus!" Poseidon said, eyes blazing._

 _The sky god stepped forward and electrified the chains, making Percy scream as he was electrocuted. "Enough!" Percy was now on his hands and knees, twitching from the electricity and glaring up at Zeus. "Perseus, stop this foolishness!"_

 _There was a pause, then Percy chuckled lowly, the laugh laced with bitterness. His bangs covering his green eyes as he looked at the dirt under his hands. "Foolishness," he repeated. Percy looked back up, breathing heavily from the moment. "They killed her Zeus. They killed Annabeth. They killed Apollo and Aphrodite, Dionysus, Demeter, and Hephaestus. They killed them all."_

 _"No, they did not!" Zeus barked. "Gaea killed them! Yes, Sally Jackson died by their hands, but she was old as it is! Annabeth was only a mortal and would have died anyway."_

 _Percy's head snapped to Zeus. "Don't talk about her like that! You have no right! You've always looked down on mortals and used them to satisfy yourself! I have no patience to listen to you, Zeus. I want them dead!"_

 _Zeus's anger vanished and his face settled into a form of seriousness that Poseidon and Hera hadn't seen in eons. "Then you leave me no choice. You are too revenge-driven to allow to walk the mortal world. I will not send you to Tartarus, as you are just grief-stricken, but you will be forced to calm down and realize that killing all humans is not the answer and it will NEVER bring them back. So, I, Zeus, King of Olympus, God of the Sky, Justice, and Weather, Son of Kronos and Rhea, hereby force you into slumber until your ire has been calmed with time."_

 _A boom resonated, and the remaining trees were leveled. Black chains shot out of the ground and wrapped around Percy. The other gods were forced to flash to the outskirts of the crater and watch as Perseus was forced to sleep._

 _Zeus watched with blank eyes and his hands folded behind his back. He remembered being bestowed that power by the Fates. They said that he could only do such a thing when absolutely necessary or else they would force him to fade. They said that it could only be done by the King in power and no one else. This power was once given to Kronos, and Ouranos himself after Erebus ruled._

 _Funny how Zeus had used this exact power to put Gaea to sleep all those years ago, and now he was forced to, once again, use it on a Primordial of Earth._

 _It seemed Lady Ananke foretold a day where her fellow Protogenos would need to be put down before they destroyed the Universe in their rage._

 _Perseus struggled in his chains, but they tightened in a way that restricted all movement. At that exact moment, the chains forced him to teleport away into a tomb in the center of the original Mount Olympus._

 _The same place Gaea was forced to slumber."_

Richard looked at the document in absolute shock. He was not expecting that at all. Poor Percy, all he wanted was to live a nice, quiet life until he died.

There was a ding, and another message from the Capitan came up.

"So… you up to do some myth busting?"


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"Books have a unique way of stopping time in a particular moment and saying: Let's not forget this."

― Dave Eggers

 _Previously:_

 _Perseus struggled in his chains, but they tightened in a way that restricted all movement. At that exact moment, the chains forced him to teleport away into a tomb in the center of the original Mount Olympus._

 _The same place Gaea was forced to slumber."_

Richard looked at the document in absolute shock. He was not expecting that at all. Poor Percy, all he wanted was to live a nice, quiet life until he died.

There was a ding, and another message from the Captain came up.

"So…you up to do some myth busting?"

 _Now:_

Time has passed, and the prophecy begins anew. Now Richard is with the Captain planning for their journey to seek out Perseus' tomb. Whether or not they succeed is debatable, as the Government had removed and changed all traces of religion from the world as much as possible. "Mount Olympus" is no longer known as the home of the gods, but as a rock formation in the Gronks (Formerly the Balkans) that has fifty-two peaks, exceptional biodiversity, and deep gorges, known now as Mount Gronk where it was named after the President of Greece in 2496.

And if they do manage to find Perseus, then their chances of leaving alive is most dependent on how much the Protogenos has calmed since 2061. Hopefully enough for minimal chances of mass genocide.

So now they are using the book as a reference and searching for any information on where "Greece" and "Mount Olympus" are located. As expected, there is not much luck. Richard had only been able to find small references here and there, but not enough to indicate the exact location of the mountain and the former cradle of western civilization.

But I'm sure they'll be fine.

* * *

Hendrix Dobillion, Captain of the Museum of Lard's Archaeological Program – an archaeological organization registered with the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists (CIfA) that provides a wide range of professional archaeological services to clients in Lard (London), throughout Southeast Ecclass (England), and elsewhere since 3197 – had always enjoyed the thrill of mystery and research. He relished in knowledge and savored the taste of completion. The mind-boggling puzzles and complex formulas never ceased to fascinate him. And this situation was no different.

He and Richard Lair were currently sat around a holographic map of the new and old world and surrounded by wispy projections of files and sites. The puzzle pieces were slowly coming together, but there was one problem that needed to be solved. How can the two men mask their research with the acceptable knowledge society will allow? How can they hide their discoveries from the Government?

Ah, the answers were simple. Write the information down physically to resemble exact replicas and destroy the digital evidence. A simple answer to a complex solution, that is to say, "easier said than done".

It seemed they'd have to commence the deadly dance of mathematics.

How exciting!

* * *

Richard and Hendrix had begun their research in hopes of possibly finding Perseus' tomb.

Now you may be asking "Why are they searching for something perceived as nonexistent in current society? How did Hendrix Dobillion even get his hands on such a file?"

Both are excellent questions that each have equally interesting answers, but to divulge in such information would make the rest of the chapter redundant now, wouldn't it? So we will improvise and come up with our own theories. One theory would be that Dobillion's ancestors were members of _The Immortals_ before they were eradicated, and such, the Captain wants to see if his ancestors were either loon-a-ticks or on to something.

Another would be that Dobillion was sent the file from someone else in the hopes that the receiver would go on a wild goose chase. But this theory has many flaws. One would be that the characters in that story weren't any less real than Benjamin Franklin (to them, at least). Another would be that the information in that story is too accurate when compared to the events of the past, thus, further making this theory less plausible than it already was.

A third theory would be that Dobillion is on the hunt for power, and feels that seeking out Perseus' tomb would give him that power if he were to repeat the words in the story (unfortunately, the language Percy was speaking has been out of date since the dawn of time, so the chances of gaining that power is slim to none).

We could go off on so many other theories, like Hendrix wanting to experience the life of water lilies by asking (begging) the Primordial of Earth to turn him into the lovely Nymphaeaceae, but not only will it take too long, but we'd run out of ideas that make sense and completely deviate from the story itself, going off on tangents we didn't even know could connect with each other; like the current example (why Dobillion would want to become a water lily is an answer better left undiscovered).

Speaking of, let's return to the story. As time passed – days, weeks, even months – Richard Lair and Hendrix Dobillion had reached the end of their research and hand-copying. Now the two men were packing their bags just enough to last the minimum thirty-one hour trip from Lard to the Gronks. Richard made sure to pack the necessary digging, food, and travel supplies they would need on their little "road trip". Out of excitement, Richard even prepared a small celebratory dinner for the two of them before their departure the next day.

Now they were on the road from Lard and flying over the Ecclash Channel to a port in Jermagy (Germany). From there they would pass through Aluzia (Austria) and Slarinda (Slovenia), then drive over Caribnia (Croatia) and Maridon (Macedonia) until they'd reached the Gronks – where they would land their Carmi Neal EX 34 (A chrome colored aerial vehicle with a glass dome as a roof and windshield – the latest edition of Carmi's Hover-cars Enterprise and Dobillion's "baby girl") at the foot of Mount Gronk, away from the majority of civilization.

Hendrix placed his finger on the digit pad, and let go of the hover-sphere. The hover-car took a moment to shut off before it let out a _chick_ and a _whoosh_ indicating that the glass dome had risen to allow the passengers to exit. From the bottom of the car, three steps flew out to form stairs and the place where doors should be vanished, leaving an opening for the driver and Shotgun.

Quickly, the two men piled out of the vehicle and met at the trunk.

Richard placed his hands on his hips and bent one leg to the side in an effort to do some stretching. The ride was long and arduous as he and Dobillion had to make the extra effort of dodging the aerial patrol and the Government's eyes. Who knows what would happen if they were pulled over and discovered. If word reaches the Government that two archaeologists are on a personal mission to discover something the Government had murdered to cover up, then they'd probably be killed on sight.

"Finally," Richard sighed, and began to do his stretches on the other leg. "I'd of died stiff if we'd remained in that craft any longer!"

Hendrix snorted as he opened the trunk and grabbed two travel bags. He handed one to Rick, "Don't be ridiculous, Lair. You wouldn't have died," (Richard began to hop while shaking his shoulders and head from side-to-side) "And stop doing that! Grab your things. We'll need to set up camp soon, so help me get out the Tent-O'-Matic." He ordered.

Hendrix began directing Richard on how to set up the tent when they felt a slight tremble in the earth. Richard stopped in his setup when it happened and took a glance at the Captain. Hendrix shook his head. "Don't worry too much about it. The Gronks is earthquake prone. I suppose it's a result of it being between the Euribdis (Eurasia) and Khanafre' (Africa) plates."

Richard scowled, "Wonderful. Now we'll have to deal with moving tectonic plates."

Hendrix chuckled at his right-hand-man. They'd been partners for twenty-seven years in the archaeological program and have been on multiple excavations ever since. He and Rick were the finest of their crew and are still considered to be two of the brightest minds in Lard. Speaking of their crew, Hendrix felt bad for not inviting the seven men and women to accompany them, but the risks were too high and the likelihoods of success, small. To have invited all fourteen would have been too risky, and the odds of one of them letting it slip that they were in the Gronks without reporting to the higher ups was not something he wanted to let happen, so Hendrik K. Dobillion just had to suck it up and apologize later (and coming up with a convincing enough lie that would allow he and Richard getting off scot-free).

Richard was finishing up with the tent settings when a thought came to mind. "Captain," (Hendrix gave a ' _hm?'_ ) "How did you come across the PDF file? For all we know, it could be a fake."

Hendrix paused his flipping of the Tent-O'-Matic manual hologram pages. He seemed nervous with his spine rigged and a drop of sweat falling from his brow. "Ehh," he sucked in a breath and let it out to calm down. "It was an old file I found in the database."

Richard's eyebrows drew together in puzzlement. "But how do you know it's true? For all we know, we could be going off on a wild goose chase and end up with nothing in our hands and time wasted."

Hendrix's eyes narrowed at his colleague, "Will you just trust me? We've done this before, haven't we? Remember when we heard those vague rumors back in Laridia-edna (Liverpool)?"

Richard nodded. "The one about a scroll that spoke about Ahura Mazda?"

Hendrix snapped his fingers and smiled, "Exactly, and remember how we had our doubts, but we looked for it anyway? We may not have the physical document anymore, but we scanned it."

Richard chuckled, "I heard the group that stole it from us back in 36 were arrested by the Government for harboring classified information. Don't know what happened to them after."

The Captain put his left fist on his hip, "Good riddance. They stole my portable Holograph projector. I had to order a new one." The two of them laughed at the memory.

"Oh, I remember."

* * *

 _(Next Day)_

Richard and Hendrix were now walking around the mountain for any sign they could find that would give rise to something "out of this world".

No luck.

Richard scowled at the papers in his hand as he sat on a large rock near a small river. "I did further research and I haven't found anything specific on how to enter a mountain without digging."

Hendrix raised his eyebrow. "Really? You actually thought you'd find something as preposterous as that in the database? Come on."

Richard gave the Captain a side glare. "No, I didn't search this up in the database," He continued flipping through the pages. "I searched it up on the internet."

Hendrix plopped down on the grass dejectedly, head in his hands, and elbows on bent knees. "Maybe this is just a wild goose chase…" he murmured.

"Nyah-ah-ah," Richard _tisk_ ed, wagging his pointer finger at Hendrix while he continued scanning the papers. "Don't give up hope just yet." He grinned when he found something. "I remember reading this somewhere in the story. In order to wake up Gaea, the Gigantes needed the blood of a female and a male. I'm not entirely sure if it was specifically the blood of a demigod, or if it could also be human. Technically, they were only half human, so I'm assuming it would work either way. Somewhere in the story, Thoon said that he'd entered the Earth Mother's tomb by sacrificing blood. So maybe," He looked back up at Hendrix and beamed. "We can do the same."

Hendrix gave Rick a deadpan stare. "Well if that's the case, we came here for no reason because last time I checked, we're both male." He gave Richard a calculative eye before muttering, "At least I hope so."

Richard chuckled nervously. He stood up and jogged to the hover-car (that was programed to follow them when they wanted it to) and opened the trunk. Hendrix followed him and saw that he was reaching into the portable fridge and opening a hatch that the Captain didn't know was there before. "Actually, I may have asked my wife to smuggle a blood-bag from the hospital a week ago," he pulled out the blood-bag and showed it to Hendrix. "I told her specifically that it had to be female."

Hendrix looked at his colleague in an estranged manner. "That's just wrong."

Richard sighed, "Don't remind me. She probably thinks I'm some mad scientist running tests on virgin blood."

"How can you tell its virgin?" (Richard showed him the label on the bag.) "Oh."

Richard waved his hand dismissively, "Anyway, let's try not to dwell on whether or not the blood is of the innocent. We have better things to do."

"Right," Hendrix said, still kind of sick with knowing they actually had someone else's blood with them. "Let's get this over with."

Richard took that as his queue to begin. "Alright, so now that we have female blood, we need male blood. Captain, if you please?" Richard took out a serrated hypodermic needle and a rubber band. "Forgive the crudeness, but it's either this or we slice your hand open. Personally, I'd be happy with a small prick as opposed to an open wound." Hendrix nodded stiffly, and stretched out his right arm. Richard went ahead and wrapped the band, cleaned the skin, tapped for the vein, and drew blood. Once the syringe was filled, he quickly placed a medical sponge and a bandage over the opening once he removed the needle. "Perfect."

The Captain massaged his elbow, "Yes, now how are we going to go about doing this?"

Richard was going to speak, but was interrupted by a raspy female voice. "I believe I can be of assistance, young ones."

The two men whipped around to see an elderly woman in a beige shoul and dress sitting on the rock Richard had been sitting on earlier, whittling a piece of bark with a bronze knife. The carving was crudely shaved and looked like a deformed person.

Lair and Dobillion jumped in surprise. Richard held out the needle defensively at the mysterious woman. "Who are you and how did you get here without us noticing?" he demanded.

The woman barely spared them a glance before returning to her work. "Whether or not I answer those questions, they will not matter in the events to come. What is most important is that you two reach your destination." She chopped off a good chunk of the wood to form a flatter surface.

Hendrix observed the woman's whittling warily. He was getting a bad feeling from that piece of wood.

"Why should we trust you?" Richard pressed.

The woman didn't answer him, but continued with her wood work.

Hendrix got an idea, and decided to apply it to the situation. "Are you familiar with what we're looking for?"

The woman paused, then continued. "I knew him well."

Hendrix nodded, but he needed to ask. "Why are you helping us?"

The woman stopped with her wood completely and gave the Captain a blank stare. "We are dying. One by one we fade into oblivion. The less the mortals remember, the less of a number of us are left. Father Earth is the only one who has the power to rectify that, but he has been slumbering for over a thousand years."

Hendrix crossed his arms. "You're a deity, aren't you?"

She went back to whittling, but at a much quicker and more precise pace. "Yes, and so is the Earth Father."

Richards' eyes widened upon realizing what the old woman meant. "Perseus."

Her eyes saddened. "Yes, and there's no telling the mood he'll be in when you wake him up."

Richard's eyes narrowed. "Who are you?"

The woman seemed to have finished with her work. Satisfied, she tossed it to Richard. Richard saw that it was of a younger woman with long, curly hair and a shirt that said CHB holding a knife – similar to the elder woman's – in a defensive stance along with a baseball cap hanging from her shorts. "You'll need that," She pointed her finger south along the mountain. "There is a shrine about a mile from here. You won't miss it. Once you arrive, all you need to do is repeat these words: ' _O patéras tis Gis',_ and spill the blood onto the shrine. It'll do the rest."

Richard scrutinized the figurine. "Why will we need this?"

The elderly woman smiled, a glint of humor in her stormy grey eyes. "You'll have to calm him down somehow," and she faded away with an echoic chuckle, as if she were blown away by the breeze.

Richard and Hendrix stared at the place the woman used to be in shock. There was no possible way that that just happened. They looked down at the figurine. It was a near perfect version of a teenage girl.

"I have a feeling things are just going to get stranger and stranger the more we continue on this little mission of ours." Hendrix said eyes set on the horizon.

Richard nodded numbly, still looking at the figurine. "I agree."

* * *

After gathering their things and hopping back in the hover-craft, the two men set of in the direction the mysterious woman sent them in search of the shrine.

Because of the vehicle having been designed as an air craft, they made it to the shrine on record time. Now Richard and Hendrix stood before the weathered stone shrine with the blood bag and syringe in hand.

"You remember those words she said we needed to recite, didn't you?" Hendrix asked.

Richard snorted, slightly offended. "Do you doubt my memorization skills?"

The Captain raised his hands in surrender. "No, no," he said quickly. "I'm just asking. You know how I am with memorization. This is your thing."

Richard nodded, satisfied. He stepped forward towards the shrine. It was shaped like a humongous goblet with designs of the continents on the inside, and wave patterns and gems on the outside.

Richard beckoned Hendrix forward and asked him to pour the blood from the syringe when he opens the bag. "O patéras tis Gis," He said and let the blood flow out of the plastic. Hendrix went ahead and poured his blood into the shrine as well.

Nothing happened for minutes, and the two men were beginning to have their doubts when the inside of the goblet glowed golden. The blood then seemed to lessen until it was nearly the amount for a small bowl. The blood then shot in different directions of the bowl, and seemingly filled in the lines that "drew" the continents and oceans. The shrine shook violently in place, and started sinking into the ground and moving backwards, revealing a set of stairs that went down under the mountain.

After a moment of frozen awe, the two men walked down the hundred steps and into a corridor made out of dirt and stone that lead to a polished, wooden door with a tree three-dimensionally carved into it with one of the branches as the handle like a pop-up book.

Richard and Hendrix walked up to the door. Hendrix went to grab at the branch, but hesitated, exchanging a wary glance with his colleague before pushing open the door.

Upon opening the door, the duo were hit by a ray of sunlight and a calm breeze. Hendrix and Richard had to both cover their eyes from the brightness, but when their pupils adjusted to the light they were left in awe at what they saw before them.

* * *

The elderly woman who gave Richard and Hendrix the figurine stood upright on the highest point of Mount Gaul. She looked tired and winded, but the oranges, purples, and yellows of the setting sun made it a little less noticeable. She was staring off into the sunset with a sad gleam in her eyes, as if she knew the end was coming sooner than she'd want it to.

The woman stretched her arm out in front of her and a round, bronze shield with the horrendous face of Medusa forever molded onto it, appeared. She undid the clasp and held the shield in front of her. In a raspy and aged voice, she said eight words. "This is my gift to you, Perseus, farewell." And dropped the shield, letting it fall from thousands of feet in the air until it was imbedded right next to the stone shrine.

And the woman? She faded from existence by the time Aegeus touched the earth.

* * *

Upon entry, the two males were met with a tropical beauty rarely witnessed in the thirty-third century. Animals of old and new frolicked, slithered, flew, twitched, swung, swam, and hopped about the forest with such grace and excellence that had alluded humanity since two-hundred-eighty-seven years ago, where the animals refused to interact with humanity.

Creatures like the dodo bird gobbled about, a rhinoceros was digging out the roots of a plant that should've been extinct by now, and a raccoon – that seemed completely out of place – came up to them and rose on its hind legs, as if assessing them for worthiness. It seemed the two males passed whatever test the raccoon had them take because it got down on all fours and scurried away in a seemingly random direction.

Richard and Hendrix couldn't believe the amount of life that was hidden within Mount Gaul. This only left them wondering what else they would find if they kept going. Which they did after Hendrix closed the door, which seemed to disappear, revealing the rest of the forest. The only indication that there was even an entrance in the first place was that where the door was, was a tree with a small branch sticking out of the trunk in the same way it did on the door.

Hendrix turned to Richard and chirpily said, "Let's get to it, then."

With that said, they trekked throughout the forest, searching for any sign of the sleeping Primordial until two hours later, where they found themselves before the entrance of a large cave that seemed barren and without life. For some odd reason, they had a feeling that their search would end here. Call it a hunch, or a sixth sense, but they just felt that Perseus would be inside.

Richard and Hendrix gazed into the black abyss of the cave. Nervously, Richard walked in and beckoned the Captain to follow. As they walked through the darkness, torches lit along both sides of the cave every time they approached one, that is, until the two men reached a steel door. Carved on one half of the door were archaic designs of battle and war, and on the other side were images of nature and life.

Richard attempted to push the door open, but it only moved an inch from the frame. Hendrix stepped forward and pushed along with Richard until the door yielded to their combined strength and opened just enough to let them through. The men squeezed past the opening and stumbled into a room with a roof that loomed over them at roughly thirty feet with quarter-sized holes letting in equally quarter-sized rays of light. The walls were a jagged rock that domed and formed spires that pointed to the ground. In the center of the room was an up-right black coffin with chains wrapped around it and connecting to the roof, and in the place of the door was a dark-grey tinted glass that allowed the onlookers a shaded view of a man in his early twenties sleeping upright with his arms crossed and his head resting just over his chest.

From afar, the coffin looked average in height – about six to six-and-a-half feet in height– but when Richard and Hendrix walked towards it, they realized that the coffin was, in fact, twice that, looming over them at an imposing height of ten to eleven feet.

Richard gasped and Hendrix was left frozen with his mouth gapped in awe.

So the story was true. Perseus _is_ real. Which also meant that the _gods_ were real and _alive_. The woman, she wasn't just some freak who probably ran tests on herself to give her the ability to mysteriously vanish. No, she was a _goddess_ ; just like she said.

Hendrix couldn't even believe what he was truly seeing. The gods were _real_ and one was literally right in front of them. This thought made him think back to the scroll that was stolen and recollected by the Government upon the arrest of the thieves. Before, it seemed like the Government arrested the group because of something they stole from the World Order, but now it seemed otherwise. It appeared that the Government was hiding something, and they would remove anyone who was close to discovering the secrets hidden beneath the surface.

Which begged the question of 'What else was the Government hiding from us?'

Meanwhile, Richard stepped forward and felt the glass. It was smooth, and reflected the small beams of sunlight like a polished crystal. Anticipation for the minutes to come filled his curiosity like a tidal wave to a fish tank. He began to examine and probe the lock and coffin for any way to open it and release the sleeping deity within. He picked at the lock and tugged at the chains, but it was no use. The box was shut tight. He continued to look around the room, even going as far as to recheck the coffin and ask Hendrix to do the same – which the Captain did without question. The duo checked every nook and cranny they could reach for a means to open the coffin; and just when they were loosing hope, a small glimmer of light caught Richard's attention on the far right corner of the room, away from the view of anyone who entered.

Upon closer inspection, Richard realized that the object was actually a six-inch, cylindrical device. The device was suspended in the air above a dimly glowing hemisphere. The archaeologist snatched it from the air and examined it. If he were to compare it to anything, it would be an older version of a stylus with the difference being that this "stylus" seemed capped.

Without further ado, he removed the artifact from where it was suspended and the room began to shake. A larger cylindrical form rose from the dirt a few feet in front of the coffin. The object's surface was curved inwards and had a small hole the size of the object in his hands. Seeing the hole gave Richard an idea, so he marched back towards the coffin and fit the stylus-look-alike into the hole. This seemed to have so-far-positive results when the chains of the coffin fell from their place on the roof and unraveled themselves from the surface of the container.

Now, before Richard Lair had discovered the stylus, the room of the cave was relatively calm with an aura of mystery and serenity, but now that the chains no longer kept the Protogenoi's power and consciousness sealed, Father Earth's presence was released from its confines and tore the coffin to smithereens, flinging the two men feet away from where they stood. Hendrix was nearly impaled by the far left wall, but was lucky to have reached the ground before his demise.

Richard lifted his head from the floor at the sound of a body dropping to the ground and an audible groan from a younger male. The archaeologist noticed that the male wore something akin to brown bed sheets that were tied in a way to cover the body enough to preserve modesty, like clothes, and that the sheets were long and tied by a thin cable-like material that seemed more organic and hay-like than the short wired-cables used for connecting a motherboard.

Richard watched Perseus slowly lift his head and arms, grabbing at the top of the cylinder that Richard used to set him free. Perseus used it as a way to stand upright since it seemed like the Primordial was having trouble doing so himself.

Perseus grasped the small artifact when he saw it and stood up, making sure to use the platform as a way to balance himself. He looked down at himself when he saw the brown cloth and cursed. "Damn, why the Hades am I wearing a toga?" His voice was hoarse and raspy but held a deep power within that made both Hendrix and Richards's minds foggy and their ears ring.

Richard gasped at the magnitude of the deity's presence, which also made said deity snap his head in the now frightened archaeologist's direction.

Perseus frowned at the mortal man in front of him. "Who are you." He demanded, uncapping the stylus – which lengthened, thickened, and sharpened to form a shining, bronze leaf-shaped sword in a matter of seconds. Hendrix was the next one to gasp when he saw the blade appear. Unfortunately, he also inadvertently drew attention to himself.

Perseus turned around and saw the Captain laying on the ground with a small cut across his forehead and small droplets of _red_ blood trickling down his brow.

Perseus scowled at him and began to walk towards the downed Hendrix threateningly. "Who are you, _mortal_?" he ground out through clenched teeth, bearing them like an animal; the obvious threat evident in his posture.

Hendrix gulped. He tried to say something, but the only words that left his mouth were, "Uh, duh, pffss."

The Earth Father sneered, the look warping his handsome features into a much more terrifying glare. "Tch," he tisked. Perseus reached down and grabbed Richard by the throat as he lifted him to eye level (which was pretty high considering that he was literally twice their size). "Who…are…you?" the deity said tightly making sure to point Anaklusmos at the man's heart.

Richard had to think fast if he wanted his friend to live to see tomorrow. Then he remembered the woman's words.

 _Richard scrutinized the figurine. "Why will we need this?"_

 _The elderly woman smiled, a glint of humor in her stormy grey eyes. "You'll have to calm him down somehow," and she faded away with an echoic chuckle, as if she were blown away by the breeze._

He fumbled with his coat pocket, pulled out the figurine, and raised the wood in front of him, yelling, "Wait!"

Perseus paused and looked back. He glared at Richard, but nearly dropped his sword when he saw what was in the man's hand.

"Annabeth…" he whispered in disbelief, dropping Hendrix and marching towards Richard. "Where'd you get this?" he demanded, yanking the man's arm to get a closer look at the perfect representation of the daughter of Athena. Richard whimpered slightly at the pressure being applied on his arm's bones. Perseus shook the man, urging him to snap out of his silence. "Answer me!"

Hendrix struggled to get up and dashed forward, pushing onto the Primordial's leg to throw off the deity's equilibrium. "Let him go!" Yelled the Captain as he rammed into Percy's leg, making the Primordial fall to his knees in mild surprise and drop Richard's arm-who clutched it close to alleviate the pain.

Percy turned his head and glared, "You dare?"

"It was an old woman," Richard cut in, wheezing. He was on his hands and knees with his head facing down as he coughed. "She appeared out of nowhere…gave it to us; she directed us here!" Richard looked up to meet Perseus' glower. "I swear, it's true! She said it would calm you down."

Perseus' eyes – that seemed to almost glow an ethereal teal green like something of the sky at night – narrowed in suspicioun. "Who is the woman that gave it to you?" his voice was dangerous, telling the men that one wrong move would lead to them ending up six feet under.

Richard shook his head. "She wouldn't give us her name; said it wouldn't be important for the future. I know she was an old woman with white hair and grey eyes."

"Grey eyes," Perseus murmured to himself. He tore Hendrix from his shin and stood back up. His eyes hardened. "I see. Why have you come here?"

Hendrix gulped. "I had found a file with your story in our Archaeological database. We were curious to see if it was true," he waved his arm in an effort to emphasize that he was talking about Perseus. "It was."

Percy's eyebrow rose. "A story, of me? Impossible. The only written document of my life was from my mother, and she never included me being Protogenos, and many of the actual events and details were changed." He paused, then looked at the mortal men incredulously. "Wait, you followed a story to get you here?" All seriousness was replaced by the incredulousness of a teenager who was scolding an idiot. "Who does that? How would you have known it was true?"

Richard and Hendrix gave him sheepish looks. "Erm, we didn't?" Richard said as more of a question than a statement.

Perseus rolled his eyes and dropped Hendrix. Exasperated, he just went and picked up Riptide while mumbling under his breath about mortals and their strange habits.

 _'Like he's one to talk,'_ They thought.

After he took Riptide's hilt and yanked it out of the dirt, he turned back around and gave the two men a cautious look. Slowly and patiently, he said, "So, what now? You've found me," he opened his arms as if he where asking for a hug, but the mortals both figured that he was most definitely not. "So what do you want from me? There must have been something else on your minds other than simple curiosity."

Hendrix folded his hands in front of him and rubbed his index finger with his thumb while avoiding the Primordial's piercing gaze. "We don't actually want anything," He paused for a moment when he remembered what the old woman said. "But, others need your help."

At this, Percy gave the Captain a curious stare. "Others? Why?"

Hendrix swallowed his saliva. "The woman who gave us the figurine said that you were the only one who has the power to save the gods from fading."

Percy's eyes widened. "Fading? Why would they be fading?" he pressed.

Richard was the one to answer, "She said that the less mortals remember them, the fewer the gods there are."

Percy was now incredibly confused, as he knew that as long as mortals believe in something, none of the gods would truly fade. As such, the only way Percy knew a deity could actually fade was if their domains became too small, or the mortals forgot about them; like Pan, whose domain had decreased dramatically during his absence.

Percy shook his head, eyes scrunched up in worry. "I don't understand. The gods can't truly fade if they still have their domains, or if they have their Holy Sites."

Now it was Richard and Hendrix's turn to be confused. "Holy Sites? What Holy Sites?"

Percy's world seemed to crumble right then, and there. His eyes widened in disbelief. "What do you mean, _'what?'_ " he pressed. "What's happened since my imprisonment?"

Hendrix and Richard exchanged a nervous glance, as if weighing the option of whether or not they should tell Perseus that religions where basically taboo, and who would deliver the bad news to the confused personification of the planet they live on.

Deciding to take one for the team, Richard took a deep breath in…and pushed Hendrix towards the God.

Hendrix stumbled forward in shock, then snapped his head back to give Richard a hard glare; the bastard didn't even have the decency to look guilty. Gulping, he nervously turned back around to look Perseus-whose eyes were switching back and forth between the two in confusion-in the eyes. Hendrix, as the proud Captain he should be, gathered the necessary courage that he was missing and scratched the back of his neck sheepishly; he couldn't even look the God in the eyes anymore without getting goosebumps. "Well, you see…uh, here's the thing…actually…" Where was his tact!? He couldn't even formulate cohesive sentences without completely making a fool of himself! What happened to his courage!

With bravery he currently did not have, Hendrix just blurted out the first thing that came to mind…and instantly regretted it.

"The Bible's been replaced!"

Perseus blinked in shocked confusion. "I'm sorry?"

Hendrix started to laugh nervously, so nervously in fact, that the laughs where spaced, "Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha…"

Richard, witnessing his Captain's mental breakdown, hesitantly jumped to the rescue. "What he means to say, good sir, is that religion has become a sort of taboo in these parts, so these "holy sites" that you're talking about; they're no longer in use."

Perseus just stared…and stared…and stared until it was completely uncomfortable for the two mortals to feel any semblance of confidence.

The two mortal men watched, transfixed, as Perseus shrunk down until he was about the height of an average teenager. He took careful steps towards them, as if he was hesitant to be anywhere near them while he was at this height, and stopped when he was three feet away (lips slightly parted and jaw marginally loose).

The two men traded another glance with each other, and Richard-as the one who was the most orally capable at the moment-offered the boy some more life-changing news. "We had a war, you see, and the governments of the world decided that "enough was enough" and united under one rule. It's kind of like the United Nations from back in the day, I guess, but less…divided…" Richard waited with baited breath for the Primordial to fully process this information.

Perseus breathed in slowly. "So, the gods are dead?"

"Essentially?" Richard tried his best not to make that sound like a question, but it just slipped from his lips like one, damn. "At least!" he tried to save, since the deity's eyes where getting too wide to be comfortable, and his breathing seemed a little more quick-paced that it normally would for anyone else. "That's what the woman said! But who knows! Maybe she was just growing senile, and assuming that the gods where dying. You can't tell with the old folk, but some of them are just getting too old for them to think straight (Richard laughs nervously). For all we know, they could be safe and sound somewhere in the world!"

There was a pregnant silence between them, and it seemed like it would never end, but it did…slowly.

Perseus breathed deep enough to puff out his chest, and exhaled enough air to deflate his gut. "Alright."

The mortals blinked. "Alright?" Hendrix asked, for he could not stomach the apparent acceptance of the deity's dead race.

Perseus nodded, "Yeah…" he tried to be honest, really, but it just wasn't going to work. "…I'm sorry, no. No, I can't accept that. They can't be dead, that doesn't make any sense. How can every one forget?" His eyes widened. "How long has it been?"

"Honestly? Probably a few millennia? I'm not too sure…" Richard offered. He realized then, that integrating Perseus into modern society might be difficult since there was so many new inventions and so much history to cover that the deceptively young boy might not be able to successfully fit in with the rest of humanity; much less if the file was right about his supposed animosity towards anything human. He just hoped that no one would notice.

It took the two mortals about an hour to try and cajole Perseus into returning to the surface world; they had to go over even more history, and treaded on thin ice on multiple occasions when some information seemed to tip the Primordial off just a little more than they would have preferred, but they did it, and they returned to the tree-door in no time at all now that they knew where they where going.

With nothing but assured steps, the trio exited the shrine. Perseus took his time taking in the landscape. They were at the edge of Mount Olympus ("Mount Gronk!"), and beside an old shrine that used to be dedicated to Gaea before her fall and his subsequent ascension. There where no trees around them, but there was grass everywhere. Perseus let his toes dig into the dirt for the first time in over two thousand years, and closed his eyes as the air breezed past his face, ruffling his hair and toga. He lightly clenched his hand around Riptide (now a pen) and the wooden figurine, almost trying to verify that he was actually free again.

While he was entombed within his prison, his connection to the Earth was dulled to the point that he had barely felt it. All his senses where stifled, so much so, that he felt as if he was trapped within a void of nothing, and he had no body to exist…to live. There was only nothingness, and it would have been maddening if he was capable of feeling, but he couldn't feel a thing; only emptiness. He could perceive neither time, nor sound, not taste, nor touch. He could not see, and he could not feel. But then there was a shift in his void; a distortion in the black that allowed him only a moment of reprieve. And then the void began to fade, and allow for his senses to readjust themselves to reality; he was able to exist again as he felt his connection to his greater form strengthen. It was overwhelming for only a moment, and then he was himself again…only taller, dizzier, and in a toga.

He could feel his body again, and it was wonderful, but that precious moment of freedom was tainted by mortals tickling their curiosity. The wounds of the past where still fresh to him. What was a few millennia in the past for everyone else was just a few hours before to him; and it was so _confusing!_ That void had robbed him of his emotions, of his awareness, and it cost him everything.

And now, he doesn't know what to do. Should he follow the mortals around their little society (learning their culture, and trying to pretend to be mortal when he hadn't been for such a long time), or should he just ditch them to find out what the hell happened in his absence (and subsequently be caught by this "Government" that seemed to wish the total eradication of religious belief)?

Decisions, decisions…and here he is, holding onto a wooden doll and a pen-sword dressed in only a toga and no idea where to go. The logical part of his brain suggested that if he wanted to get around without drawing too much attention to himself, he'll have to go with the mortals. But the less-than-logical, more emotional part of his brain, didn't want him to be anywhere near the species that killed his beloved mother. But then, his logic told him that he wouldn't even know where he could go to find such seclusion without coming across humans in the first place, so logic won the draw (for now).

"Perseus?"

Percy turned to look at Richard, who had a large shield in his hands. Perseus blinked down at it in confusion before instantly spotting the head of Medusa on the front. He sucked in a breath, and gently laid his palm on the outer rim, just skimming the surface; almost not wanting to believe his own eyes, hoping it was just a cruel trick the mortal was pulling. But it was very much real, and the metal was cool to the touch, but something was wrong with it. The shield felt off when he touched it, and it was unsettling to realize that the normal ethereal thrum it once had when Athena used it was no longer there.

"Where did you get this?" he voice was barely a whisper, and he asked it without taking his eyes off the shield. It was too strange, and he was slowly connecting dots that he hadn't known needed connecting when he first held the wooden figurine in his hand, not even when the mortals spoke about that mysterious woman with grey eyes that gave it to them. But now it was making sense to him, the woman was Athena; and she had just faded into the void.

* * *

 _What does it mean when wisdom dies? What happens then?_


	4. Chapter 3

**Warning:** There is a memory at the beginning of this chapter. If you don't want to read the full thing, then there will kind of be a small summary of it at the end of the memory spoken to Perseus by Athena. Because she is the Wisdom goddess (and this is explained in the memory) she is very intelligent, so she will be going into a kind of "lecture mode," but she does summarize it a little in the end. However, I do recommend that you read it completely because the information is important to the plotline later in the story and will be considered a recurring theme.

There's an important Author's Note in the end that I would really appreciate you read.

This is unbeta'ed, so if anyone wants to beta my story please _ONLY_ PM me.

* * *

 _"Athena, could you tell me about your domain?"_

 _Athena pauses in the polishing of her spear and shield (not that they ever needed to be polished, but she likes to think that doing so helps her think) and looks at Perseus. He watches her patiently and awaits her answer._

 _Athena smirks at him, mischief dancing in her stormy eyes. "Which one?"_

 _"Wisdom."_

 _"Well," Athena begins again to polish her spear, "the mortals have many interpretations of what wisdom is, so my domain is comprised of their individual perspectives: the educational perspective, the philosophical perspective, the psychological perspective, the religious perspective, and sapience. The ancient Greeks considered wisdom to be an important virtue, personified by Metis and me. To Socrates and Plato, philosophy was literally the love of Wisdom. This permeates Plato's dialogues, especially The Republic, in which the leaders of his proposed utopia are to be philosopher kings, rulers who understand the Form of the Good and possess the courage to act accordingly. Aristotle, in his Metaphysics, defined wisdom as the understanding of causes, i.e. knowing why things are a certain way, which is deeper than merely knowing that things are a certain way. In fact, it was Aristotle who first made a distinction between_ phronesis _(which is prudence, and practical intelligence) and_ sophia _(wisdom) as the aspects of wisdom. The ancient Romans also valued wisdom and had them personified as Minerva-who represents skillful knowledge and the virtues. Wisdom is also important in Christianity, as Jesus emphasized it. Paul the Apostle, in his first epistle to the Corinthians, argued that there is both secular and divine wisdom, urging Christians to pursue the latter. Prudence, which is intimately related to wisdom, became one of the four cardinal virtues of Catholicism. The Christian philosopher Thomas Aquinas considered wisdom to be the "father" (the cause, measure, and form) of all virtues. In Buddhist traditions, developing wisdom plays a central role where comprehensive guidance on how to develop wisdom is provided." Athena looks up at Perseus to allow him to process the philosophical perspectives that she just listed. When he nodded for her to continue, she did so._

 _"Public schools in the US have an approach to character education. Eighteenth-century philosophers, such as Benjamin Franklin, referred to this as training wisdom and virtue. Traditionally, schools share the responsibility to build character and wisdom along with parents and the community. Nicholas Maxwell, a contemporary philosopher in the United Kingdom, advocates that academia ought to alter its focus from the acquisition of knowledge to seeking and promoting wisdom, which he defines as the capacity to realize what is of value in life, for oneself and others. He teaches that new knowledge and technological know-how increase our power to act which, without wisdom, may cause human suffering and death as well as human benefit. Wisdom is the application of knowledge to attain a positive goal by receiving instruction in governing oneself." (She puts down her spear and picks up the shield.) "Psychologists have gathered data on commonly held beliefs or folk theories about wisdom. These analyses indicate that although "there is an overlap of the implicit theory of wisdom with intelligence, perceptiveness, spirituality, and shrewdness, it is evident that wisdom is an expertise in dealing with difficult questions of life and adaptation to the complex requirements." Baltes et al. in 2002 through_ Wisdom: its structure and function in regulating lifespan successful development _defined "Wisdom is the ability to deal with the contradictions of a specific situation and to assess the consequences of an action for themselves and for others. It is achieved when in a concrete situation, a balance between intrapersonal, interpersonal and institutional interests can be prepared". Wisdom leads a person to overcome feelings of helplessness, powerlessness, anger or aggression by non-understanding of external elements and internal acknowledgment. It leads to a change from the experience of meaninglessness to meaningful goals, prospects for coping with critical life events and to engage constructively with complex life problems. You're still with me, right? Still hanging onto my every word, Percy?" She didn't take her eyes off the shield, but she knew that he seemed to be zoning out a little._

 _Perseus blinked a few times. "No, I'm still with you."_

 _Athena nodded her head and continued. "There's more to the psychological perspectives, but I'll save you from the rest of the lecture and tell you that it has to do with self-help. The last one I'll go through quickly. Now remember this,_ Sapience _is not to be confused with_ Sentience _. Sapience is closely related to the term "sophia" often defined as "transcendent wisdom", "ultimate reality", or the ultimate truth of things. The sapiential perspective of wisdom is said to lie in the heart of every religion, where it is often acquired through intuitive knowing. This type of wisdom is described as going beyond mere practical wisdom and includes self-knowledge, interconnectedness, the conditioned origination of mind-states and other deeper understandings of subjective experience. This type of wisdom can also lead to the ability of an individual to act with appropriate judgment, a broad understanding of situations and greater appreciation and/or compassion towards other living beings." Athena smiled at Perseus. "So, in short, wisdom is important for human development; especially when it comes to their minds (she taps her finger to her forehead), and if I and my counterparts weren't here since their beginning, then humanity and its gods would be stuck in a never-ending loop of barbaric and primitive lifestyles; they wouldn't even have existed without my help." But her smile, which was warm and filled with mirth dropped into a grimace that told of dread and sorrow for a future that she dreaded would come to pass; she looked away, but not quickly enough for Perseus not to notice that she looks like the weight of her great age was finally taking its toll. "…However, if wisdom were to cease, Perseus, then humanity would doom itself into an age that would become its destruction, and we would be forced to follow."_

 _The shield sat still as it gleamed._

* * *

Perseus snatched his hand away as if burned. He sucked in a deep breath and stumbled backward. He couldn't take his eyes away from the shield, but he knew that they projected the horror he feels.

"Perseus?" Richard stepped towards him, the shield still in hand. "Are you alright?"

Perseus shook his head and stumbled back, even more, trying his hardest to get away from the shield. It was mocking him, Medusa's face seemed to contort into a horrible cackle, mocking him for his misery. Richard stopped moving and looked down at the shield in confusion before he realized that it was the cause of the deity's distress. He let the shield drop uselessly to the dirt and stepped in front of it to block Percy's view. Hendrix jogged over to the center and, as the mediator, tried to calm him down.

"Hey, woah there, calm down big guy. There's no need to get worked up. Just breathe…"

Percy tried to breathe, he really did, but the shock and panic were settling in too quickly for him to concentrate on the simple task. Hendrix noticed this, and gripped Percy's arms and brought them face to face. "Look at me and do what I do, can you do that for me?" Perseus nodded. Hendrix began the basic breathing exercises to help settle a panic attack. "Breathe in (Hendrix sucked in a very deep breath; Perseus tried to copy him), now out (he expelled it). Do it again; in…and out…" They continued this for a while-it took Perseus some time to stop breathing like an asthmatic in the throes of an attack-but they were going through the motions well enough.

When Hendrix deemed Perseus suitably calm, he released him and stepped back with his hands up in surrender-not having forgotten about the Primordial's opinions of humanity. "Alright there, big guy?"

Perseus shook his head a bit to regain his senses. "Ugh, yeah. Yeah, I'm fine…thanks."

Richard also put his hands up warily. "Right, well, do you mind enlightening us lowly mortals as to why you...erm…began to lose your composure?"

The two watched with batted breath as Perseus walked towards him and reached down to pick up the shield. "Don't worry about it." And he walked off.

* * *

The mortals lead Perseus to their hovercar and explained that they'll have to fly him straight to Richard's place so that they could get him settled in before helping him integrate himself into society. However, when the word "fly" was mentioned, Perseus froze…then proceeded to refuse to enter the admittedly awesome device-of-the-future. This birthed the problem of how to get him in while avoiding the innocent pen that he was pointing at them threateningly with.

"I am not going anywhere near that thing!"

"But we have to leave! There's no other way for us to travel!" Richard jumped at him but ducked away from the pen when it was swung at him (luckily, he has yet to unleash Riptide).

"I'd rather stay here, then!"

"Well too bad!" Hendrix threw his hands in the air in exasperation and decided to change tactics. If Perseus feared the sky, then he'll have to change his mind about being in it for a few hours. "Fine, stay here, but know that you'll get found out by the Government and they'll probably lock you away in some spaceship in the sky. So, it's either get in the tiny one for a little while or stay in the big one forever!" And he proceeded to the car. "Come on Richard, let's go."

Richard stopped trying to grab Perseus and stared at Hendrix in disbelief. "What?!"

Hendrix placed his hand on the glass, the facial recognition system doing its job to recognize the driver, and anyone allowed to drive, where the _chick_ and _whoosh_ sounded to indicate the dome's rise. The bottom three steps flew out to make stairs, and he got in. Hendrix closed the driver's door but kept the window open so that he could look back at Richard. "You heard me, let's go. If he wants to get caught, then let him get caught. It's a gamble, I know, but it's his future in the end."

"But-"

"No buts, let's go."

Richard looked back at the Primordial-whose eyes where slowly widening in surprise and fear-and walked over to the Shotgun seat. Hendrix shut the doors and activated the hovercraft before rising up a few feet into the air and accelerating slowly.

Percy saw that they were leaving him behind and realized that maybe he was being a bit irrational, and he'd ride the tiny craft if it meant his continued freedom.

"W-wait!" He tightened his hold on the pen and doll and made sure the shield band was clasped around his forearm before running after the hover-craft while yelling for them to come back. "Blasted mortals! _Do not leave me here!_ " He willed the earth under his feet to launch him upwards. He would have grabbed onto the ship if it wasn't moving, but alas, it was (and there was nowhere to latch onto since the car was literally a large oval. So, he willed the dirt to rise as earthen pillars to support him while he jumped along, yelling at them to stop and come back. It didn't seem like they'd heard him for a few minutes.

Hendrix kept an eye on his mirrors, keeping them angled so that he could see Perseus. He felt a little guilty about scaring the deity but squashed the thought without any more remorse: Perseus kind of deserved it for being such irrational.

Perseus was angrily losing hope that the humans would stop for him, so he decided to just stop the car in its tracks. He willed one last pillar to boost his jump and grew until he was able to hold the car with one hand like a hotdog. He snatched it out of the air and turned it so that he could see the infuriating mortals in their seats.

The two men panicked when they felt the car jerk to a stop and where surrounded by large fingers. They had to hold onto their seats when they felt inertia violently shift them around and gulped hard when they were faced with an enraged Father Earth.

 ** _"HOW DARE THE TWO OF YOU LEAVE ME BEHIND!"_**

The sound of Perseus' voice was like an avalanche and a volcanic eruption happening at once; it was loud enough to hear through the glass. The two panicked even more in fear of someone hearing the commotion and coming to investigate (it was that loud). Hendrix opened the window and stuck his head out to call to the deity.

Hendrix cupped his hands over his mouth to amplify his voice as much as possible. "OK, WE'RE SORRY! PUT US DOWN SO YOU CAN GET ON!"

Perseus glared but dropped them without further protest. Hendrix had to fumble with the controls so that they wouldn't crash-land and was able to land them safely. Perseus loomed over them for a second longer before returning to his human height. Richard was in open-mouthed awe as he watched Perseus tower over them from about sixty feet, and he continued to stare even when Perseus was only six feet. Hendrix opened one of the back doors and stuck his head out of the window again to talk to Perseus as he got near him.

"Hey, listen-"

But Perseus grabbed him by the shirt collar and unsheathed Riptide. He yanked Hendrix forward and pointed the sword at his face. "Speak one more word and I'll sever your tongue, mortal, and let this not be a repeated occurrence." Hendrix shut up and frantically nodded his head, eyes blown wide. Perseus let him go and sheathed Riptide before reluctantly getting into the hovercraft.

Richard turned to face him and nervously pointed where and how to fasten his safety beams (seatbelt). "They'll help keep you in place in the occasion that we get into an accident, so make sure that they're fastened snug."

There was no more talk once he turned on the radio.

* * *

Hendrix traveled over many land and water masses. They had to stop at a charging area since the hover-craft was low on energy. The sun was setting, so the solar energy that fuels the car would make charging longer unless they stop at one of the many charging stations stationed around the globe. The simplistic (though vague) explanation of how it worked was that the car's surface was basically a large solar panel molded and adjusted into the shape of a hollowed semicircle. The energy was absorbed by the hover-craft and used by the car as a kind of fuel. The mechanics where much more complicated because of the panels having been adapted to long-distance travel and the high amount of energy needed for the car to function, but the boys weren't too into all that stuff, so they just knew that if the sun goes down, and the car is out of juice, then they should head to a solar station to recharge quicker. The solar stations absorb large amounts of energy throughout the day and store it into reserves to distribute amongst other vehicles when they need it, but they're only open at sundown; which was right now.

Hendrix landed beside one of the charge sections to refuel and hopped out to do so. He swiped a bracelet around his wrist over a transaction screen, and when the light turned green, the car shut off to charge. Hendrix hopped back on and closed the door. "So," he looked back at Perseus-who was looking around the area in wonder from his seat in the craft. "We'll have to stay for about half an hour since the craft's pretty much dead. How're you holding up back there?"

Perseus looked around at the empty station (Richard explained where they were while Hendrix was outside) and noted that there were only two other hover-crafts in sight. "Is it usually this empty?"

Hendrix shrugged, "I guess. We're pretty much in the middle of nowhere, so I wouldn't expect too many people out and about."

Percy nodded at him and looked back outside without saying a word. He seemed to be deep in a state of emotional detachment, as if he hasn't fully acknowledged his surroundings, and is equally disinterested in them.

There was a pregnant silence then, and Richard shifted a bit in his seat. "So," he began and looked back at Perseus. "Would you like anything to munch on? I assume that spending such a long time in a box would work up an appetite."

Perseus pursed his lips and shrugged. "Sure, but I wouldn't know what to choose."

Richard and Hendrix's exchanges matching smirks before grinning back at him. "Well, then!" Richard started. "Why don't we introduce you to the delicacies of the solar station's snack section? That way, you can choose whatever you like, and we can tell you if it's good or not."

"We can show you our favorite snacks! You'll love them, I'm sure!" Hendrix added.

Perseus looked at them-both nearly vibrating in their seats in excitement at the prospect of introducing mystical beings to the wonders of Space-e-O's and Ventricle Crisps-before looking down at himself. "I'll have to change, though," he muttered.

Hendrix looked at the toga and frowned. "Yes, you can't be seen in those. I think I have some spare clothes in the-", but Perseus took one more look at their clothing, and glanced at the clothes of one of the other drivers that stepped into the store, before using his power to change his clothing into something that closely resembled modern attire. Hendrix promptly shut his mouth and glanced away with a small "Never mind, then," and opened all the doors. Richard just blinked at his clothing incomprehensibly.

Perseus carefully stepped out of the hover-craft and walked towards the store, confidently passing the two speechless and awestruck humans. He looked back to them when he was halfway across the walkway and called out to them to "shut their traps and hurry up! I'm starving!" Of which seemed to reanimate the mortals and encourage them to catch up. Richard seemed to sprint over just so that he could open the door for the deity in disguise. Perseus paused momentarily at the door and blinked a few times in surprise at the interior of the solar station.

The inside was not impressively large, but it did seem capable of fitting fifty elephants comfortably. Percy walked between the aisles, reading the names of products and taking note of the differences of each item. It came as a mild surprise that the packaging of snacks and certain products that you'd see at an everyday gas station back in the twenty-first century hadn't changed very much. Of course, there where nick-knacks and gizmos that he wasn't at all familiar with and couldn't hope to identify, but the general idea of a convenience store is still the same-just more sci-fi-ish. He walked about, now only half focused on finding something to hold his stomach and half on memory lane. As far as he could see, the mortals have advanced exponentially since his day, and their inventions and ideas where a bit overwhelming since what he used to associate with science fiction was now reality, and the knowledge that he might as well be the last of a dying race of powerful and mystical beings didn't make his outlook on mortals shine in a positive light (as, in his eyes, they were the cause of this reduction in numbers, and his opinion of them was already a bit negative).

He fingered a bag of multicolored sweets that seemed more decorative than edible and moved on to another aisle. He spotted the two mortals that brought him here-their names eluding him, as they had yet to introduce themselves to him, he realized-partaking in a hushed argument about what they thought he should try first. Perseus was having a hard time understanding the two: they were two cases of possible nut-jobs that were apparently foolish enough to seek him out. To him, they are the first signs of life he'd seen since his capture, and (with a great amount of reluctance, and a promise to himself that he would never admit this to either of the infuriating mortals) he found a small amount of solace in their presence. But they are also stark reminders of what he'd lost: Annabeth, his mother, his friends, and time. He realized that he just couldn't bring himself to forgive the mortals that angered Gaea, killed his mother-which blinded him in anger enough to be imprisoned, resulting in the loss of his remaining friends to death, and resulted in time lost-and maybe he wouldn't forgive them for a long time, but (he watched the two suddenly look down their isle at a single snack and run over themselves towards them with a silent cheer) perhaps he could consider these two as a pair of allies or their willingness to free him from his confinement.

"Perseus! There you are! I think we've found just the right snack," Hendrix jogged towards him, Richard following with a large grin, "These are called Pan Galactic Gargle Blasters: their like this sugary rock that you put in water that makes it flavored after the specific rock (He brandished a sealed box that had a picture of tiny rocks of different colors against a white background, and there was a side, not that said "Experience the wonders of a Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy's inventive ideas for snacks!")." He then showed the Primordial a bag of trail mix. "And this is trail mix. I've heard that it's a snack that's been around for a long time, so it must be pretty good, and I figured that you might appreciate something familiar." He smiled and handed them to Perseus to analyze for himself.

Percy took the objects carefully and looked them over before nodding in agreement. Hendrix and Richard high-fived in triumph and went to pay for their goods (Richard added a couple bottles of water and some more snacks). They returned to the car and opened their snacks-Perseus dropping a green rock in his bottle (according to the bag, this was apple flavored) and watched as it dissolved into a bubbly green liquid resembling flavored fizzy water and took a sip. Satisfied by the taste, he took another sip and opened the back of trail mix. The mortals struck up conversation for the rest of the hour until they were ready to get back on the road to Richard's home, and Perseus couldn't help but think that, although bizarre, the two mortals where pleasant enough company to warrant being nice to them (and, if they proved to him otherwise, he might consider alleviating them of the burden of his opinion on their kind). But that was only a passing consideration, for his grievances where that of which pained him enough to be wary of the humans and their morally-fluid natures.

* * *

 _So that's the end of this chapter! Remember to LIKE and REVIEW down in the comments because your feedback keeps me motivated!_

 _Anyway, so as you've noticed, the story is pretty different from what I originally wrote. I'm not sure why I went into such a humongous tangent, but I've fixed it. Also, the question about the governments of the world all just coming together and agreeing on something out of nowhere does seem sketchy but bear with me. There is a reason for that sketchiness! However, the explanation for that will take a while to come about because you haven't been introduced to my antagonist yet. I'm going to allow Percy to work through his emotions first, and then the serious action starts. I want to say right now that Percy won't be so angsty for long, but he will go through a few pitfalls along the way. I'm not writing him out to be a one-dimensional character where he stays angry at humanity forever and follows in Gaea's footsteps to destroy them. No, that's not what I'm doing at all. He is a complex person with complex emotions just like every single person on the planet. He may start off cold, detached, and apathetic; and while he will always remain aloof, passive, and a bit on the chilly side of things, you must understand that he has been through quite a lot of psychologically taxing situations. He's still young in mind and he is entitled to feel anger and joy and love and fear. He's allowed to make mistakes and be irrational. We all are. It's what makes us human and what makes us better than the alternative._

 _So,_ yes, _Percy will come out as OOC in the beginning, he will be angry at the mortals for taking away the last tie to mortality that he had and do things that are not the wisest, he will not always have the answers-not even the gods are omnipotent. It doesn't mean he's always going to be rude or annoying, it means he's a person. I see a lot of fanworks that look at the original canon content and demonize optimism and trust and faith (I'm not only talking about PJO and HOO here). I hope that my story will be different in that I took Percy, started him off as jaded, detached, and pessimistic, and then make his main character-arch be his slow-healing into accepting that not everyone is at fault for the mistakes of others and to relearn to trust and enjoy life without negativity._

 _I just wanted to put this out there so that no one is disillusioned by his attitude and think this story is like the all the other 'Percy is betrayed or wronged somehow, so he must come out as angry and unforgiving to everyone associated to those that did him wrong' stories because that's not what I'm aiming for at all. And before this note becomes long-winded, I just want to make a few more parting words: please be patient with the way this story is written. It may seem clipped and to the point in some parts, and slow going and tedious in others, but I'm trying my best to convey a meaning through every word that I write. So please save your "flamming" to yourself if you decide that you want to be rude and criticize my story. I appreciate constructive criticism, but I will not tolerate people knowingly trying to put me down because they don't like what I write._


	5. Chapter 4

"The marks humans leave are too often scars."

― John Green, The Fault in Our Stars

* * *

It took them the rest of the night and the morning of the next day when they finally arrived at Richard's house. His home was a large, round dome resembling a wide teardrop made of metal with a large solar panel poking out of a tip at the very top. There was a quaint little garden made of fake, exotic plants that decorated the front lawn, and a driveway perpendicular to the road. The driveway leads to a circular garage door that parted vertically to allow the hovercar entrance. Hendrix parked the car and opened the doors so that Richard and Perseus could step out before the doors closed behind them.

The interior of the room was like a normal garage with tools, nick-knacks, and gizmos. But there were still distinctive features that made it contrast with a typical garage from the twenty-first century. First of all, the hovercar landed on a conveyor belt that brought it fully into the room and parked it next to a second hover car of similar make. Another thing, instead of the normal tools one would see in a garage from back in the day, these tools (that probably had similar jobs) where entirely different, as they where made to accommodate for the differences in the vehicle's maintenance procedures (not that Percy really cares too much, but it was still difficult not to take note of). The last, but not the least bit insignificant, was the floating television screen and the panel of buttons and keys that surround the screen at the end of the garage. The screen was off, but the panel was glowing a fluorescent blue and was warped to look like a spindly noodle that was flattened to the maximum and rolled like doe.

"This is a garage?" Perseus asked as he walked around the room in wonderment. "I'd never have imagined that the world could advance to such extremes. To think that it feels like just yesterday when people lived in more manual accommodations."

"Well, I suppose it really would have been yesterday for you," Hendrix said. Perseus and Richard followed him into the main living room of the house. "You've been stuck in that coffin for so long that I can't even imagine how you must have felt waking up."

Percy shrugged and was led over to a room that could very well be a living room for all he knew that it was a room. "This is the living room," (Got it! Yeah!) Richard moved towards a plush probably-a-couch thing and sat down, arms resting on the back and legs being propped up on a hovering cushion. He gestured towards the seats around him. "Make yourself comfortable."

Percy gazed around the room, taking in all the weird little things that didn't make sense to him decorating the space. Most of the thing was either hovering or sat on a round, wobbly surface, looking innocent and inconspicuous. Something small and white shot out of the table next to Richard and landed in his palm. Percy couldn't help but jump slightly at its unexpected exit and glared back at the two chuckling men incredulously.

Hendrix rolled his eyes with a grin and grabbed Percy by the arm to lead him to the couch-thing-seating him down with minimal effort. "You might as well get acquainted with the knickknacks, since they'll have a pretty permanent presence while the Lails live here." Hendrix looked around pensively for a moment before giving Percy a considering look. "You'll also be living here, so get used to it quickly."

Percy gapped at Hendrix, then shifted his wide, questioning eyes to Richard. Richard, himself, was quite surprised by the statement, which made a clear enough indication that this topic wasn't previously discussed with the man in question. "He's what?"

Hendrix rolled his eyes, "Oh, but of course, Rick, where else did you think we were going to stash an earth god? In the janitor's closet back at my apartment?"

"W-well-"

Percy's expression-which already consisted of wide eyes and a slackened jaw-widened and slackened even more at Richard. And he, because he sees what Hendrix is doing, follows along with gusto."You weren't considering that, where you?!"

Richard flailed his arms around in an effort to placate the distressed man. "N-no!"

Hendrix clapped his hands once to bring about an even more dramatic proclamation. "Oh, good! Then we're in agreement."

"No we're not!"

Completely ignoring Richard now, Hendrix gathered the deity in his arms and dragged him towards where he knows the guest rooms are. "Don't you worry, Perseus-can I call you Perce?-I'll pick out a nice, cozy room for you while Richard deals with his wife. I haven't told you about her yet, but I'm sure you two will get along just fine!"

"HENDRIX!"

Hendrix didn't even have the decency to hold in his cackles.

* * *

Hendrix dictated to Perseus about how the bed-that's-not-just-a-bed works-apparently it's able to provide the user with many of their "needs" like a miniature robot that would gather everything you asked for just as long as it's within the bounds of the house, a cup holder that dispenses cups with a push of a button, a holographic television system that projects movies like a theater, a game slot, and a whole bunch of other things that made Percy feel inadequate for not having back in his day. And he's happy to say that the comforters and cushions are heavenly.

"And this button is for the emergency light system. The bed is directly connected to the room's electricity system, even the plumbing," Hendrix nudged Percy in the side with his elbow here, wiggling suggestive eyebrows.

Percy honestly doesn't know how to feel about this bed. Apparently, it's an all-in-one kind of thing…but leaning more towards providing dangerous levels of laze. Percy wouldn't be surprised that people may be wasting away on this bed…well, medically bed-ridden folk may very well be having a blast, so who was he to say that this was too much? This is the thirty-first century, there could be an even worse luxury in existence for all he knows. But his opinion questioned whether owning a bed like this was wise anyway.

"So what do you say, Perce? Would you do me the honor of teaching you about the wonders of 31st-century videogames?"

Percy's inner teenager will probably kill him if he didn't take him up on his offer. "Hell, yeah."

* * *

It was three hours later that Percy finally met Mrs. Lail. And it would be twenty minutes after when he'd learn about her profession as this time's equivalent of a doctor at an Alorica Stan-Howard Memorial Hospital not far from the neighborhood. And at that very moment, he'd find out that she was also as sharp as a Japanese kitchen knife, and as vengeful as Hades. Because _Hades_ she's got her husband _whipped_.

So it stared like this:

Hendrix and Percy were playing a really cool video game (Percy's never played one before even in his time, so this experience set the standard high) when Richard knocked on the door of the room, opened it and gave them the brightest, most strained smile Percy had ever seen because, my goodness, it looked uncomfortable.

"Gentlemen, why don't you come and greet my wife? She's just come back from a long day of work and will be very excited to meet you, Perseus."

Neither Percy nor Hendrix was convinced, but they came along to the living room anyway; Percy following alongside the two suddenly very tense men. Percy had a bad feeling about this meeting, mostly because the two men were suddenly very tight-lipped and nervous. It was too quickly that they arrived in the living room, which was now occupied by one other.

The lady of the house rose from her seat with a pleasant smile, rosy cheeks and chocolate eyes seemingly conveying every sign of welcome and wifely happiness. But there where slight inconsistencies. For one, her hands where clenched a little too tightly in front of her, and her eyes were a little too narrow. Her posture was taut, and her head held up with miniscule wrath of a woman scorned.

Percy, fortunately, stood behind the two men-who were parked side-by-side-so he was mostly shielded from her immediate view. Which was not a sign of cowardice, so stop.

"Hendrix, it's so nice to see you." Her voice came out too sweet. Percy was distantly concerned that she might rot her teeth in the next five seconds. "Richard was just telling me that you two got back from the Gronks and that you've found what you were looking for." Her smile widened, conveying a chilling warmth that convinced no-one. "But I couldn't help but notice that you two have forgotten to tell me what that would've been."

Her eyes, sharper than porcupine quills, flashed to the smallest portion of Perseus that she could see. Her head tilted like a curious tiger, dark bangs ghosting over her eyes. "So who's your friend? I don't think we've met before."

Hendrix (because Richard's a wuss) cleared his throat and moved to the side to give her a better view of the Primordial. "Well, Jaideen, this is Perseus," he cleared his throat again, sweat already coming down the back of his neck. "We found him entombed in a cave in Mount Gronk yesterday and brought him back here."

Jaideen's eyes seemed to narrow even more, but her gaze was directed dead-on at her husband, super accusing. Much more forceful than was probably expected from someone who was smiling so sweetly, she demanded her husband speak. "Who is he Richard?"

Richard rubbed at his neck like a chastised child, and didn't look her in the eyes. Probably because the floor was more interesting-which, in Percy's opinion, was true, but that's not the point.

"He's a…deity, dear. Of the primordial sort."

"Of the primordial sort?" She seemed to have tensed just as hard as her husband and his colleague, swallowing hard before she continued to speak. "And what's that supposed to mean?"

Clearly Percy's missing something here, because the fear that Jaideen feels seems very out of nowhere to him. Especially since the conversation-more like a one-sided interrogation-seems to have forgotten that he was in the room, and she seemed all for throttling her husband before. Maybe she knew that his status was potentially dangerous to mortals?

"He's basically Father Earth, dear."

Jaideen took a shuddered breath in before her eyes rolled to the back of her head and she fell forward.

Richard shouted in alarm and rushed to his fallen wife. Fortunately, she was close enough for him to catch her in time, but she was now completely unconscious. The sheer panic Richard and Hendrix were feeling was a clear indication that this didn't happen often and they weren't expecting it in the first place. Richard carried his wife to the couch and laid her down comfortably, trying to shake her awake. It was about a half-minute after that she woke up again with a groan.

Richard moved closer to her face while Hendrix sat on the armrest by her head. Percy opted to stay back for a bit so that she wouldn't compromise herself again too quickly after waking up.

"…Mmm, Richard?..." Jaideen blinked up at him.

"Yes, dear?" he said, inching closer.

"Fuck you, honey…for lying."

"Okay, dear."

"Mmm…You're spineless, you know that?"

"Absolutely, dear."

"Good," she put her hand on her forehead and blinked at the lights on the ceiling. "Because I'm couching you for the next week."

Richard sighed in relief and looked down, giving his wife a fond smile. "Of course, my love." He was glad that she wasn't shouting.

"Wonderful," she slowly lifted herself up into a sitting position, hand still resting on her forehead. "Hendrix, bring me a glass of water, will you?"

Hendrix hopped off the couch and speed walked towards the kitchen, completely ignoring the little robot manning it. "Yes, ma'am."

Jaideen then shifted her eyes onto Perseus, who had migrated into her field of vision now that she seemed less prone to fainting again. "And you must be Perseus." She observed how he seemed completely relaxed while keeping his hands clasped behind his back and his posture perfect. "I welcome you to my humble abode."

Percy nodded to her, eyes cool as she scrutinized him; and he, her. "Much obliged, ma'am."

"You're welcome." She shifted her feet so that they would now rest on the floor and stood up, holding out her hand for him to shake. "I'm sorry, I've let my manners slip. I am Jaideen Lail, Head Surgeon of Alorica Stan-Howard Memorial Hospital, and wife of Richard Lail-who I'm sure you're already familiar with." Percy nodded and shook her hand in return before quickly letting go. "I'm sorry you had to see that," she said, her eyes watching him intently as he subtly shifted his hands behind his back again. "I'm not usually known for my fainting spells, but I was understandably surprised. You see-and I mean no disrespect-the mythos behind your sort isn't usually welcome around these parts, and its mention is mostly taboo among those who are well informed of the stories."

Percy's eyebrows scrunched up in confusion, but he let it go for now. It didn't seem like a very good reason to faint, but he figured that it was most likely some new mortal thing that he wouldn't need to concern himself over, anyway. And it wasn't his fault that she couldn't keep herself together, so he refrained from commenting. "It's fine, miss. Really, I understand."

She smiled up at him, "I'm glad."

Hendrix came back from the kitchen not a second later with a small tray of grapes and two glasses of water. "For you, ma'am," he handed her the tray and a glass. "And for you, Perseus." He handed Percy his own glass. "I figured you'd like some sugar in your system, and you seemed parched, Perce."

"…"Perce?"…" Jaideen inquired about the nickname, slightly amused by it.

Hendrix brightened and slapped Percy on the shoulder in good fun. "Yup, it's his nickname. I figured "Perseus" was too long in an informal setting and thought that it wouldn't hurt to shorten it. Right, Perce?"

"I never actually agreed to you calling me that."

Hendrix paused and blinked rapidly at Percy, as if he only now realized that himself. "Right, well, you don't mind, do you?"

"No, but-"

"Perfect! It's settled, then. We'll call you Perce from now on."

Percy sighed in exasperation, not impressed by the mortal's habit of interrupting people, but said nothing in regards to it. He knew full well that retaliation of any kind wouldn't be taken kindly to, and anything he said about the topic would most likely be ignored by the hyper mortal; being called Perce by his old friends was never actually an issue. Jaideen, meanwhile, was smiling behind the rim of her glass, amusement shining warmth in her brown eyes, and laugh lines crinkling at the edges.

"Now if you don't mind me asking, Perseus," Jaideen began. "What is it that you do?" Percy raised his eyebrow at her. "I know it sounds a bit rude, but I've only heard faint whispers among these two about stories they've read depicting deities who commandeer the forces of nature, but they were never specific or detailed enough to paint an accurate picture." She took a small sip of her water. "So I figured that asking you directly would be better equipped than using my imagination if I want to get to know my new guest better."

"That's reasonable." Percy took a sip of his own water. "In plain terms, I am the very personification of the planet you're standing on. I am the one who shapes continents; the one who forces volcanic eruptions; who quakes the earth, and keeps it in orbit. My existence declares the continued prosperity of this planet, as well as its inevitable last day. I dictate the cycles of life and forge the paths of prosperity."

"The paths of prosperity?"

"Every ore and stone on this planet are created in the Earth's design."

"I see," she said, quite impressed. "And what were you doing in that cave, if I may ask?"

Percy scowled and looked away. "It's a long story. One that I'm not comfortable with sharing, you understand." He shot Hendrix and Richard-who had moved to sit on the couch by his wife not long ago-hard looks, daring them to speak. They did not.

Jaideen caught the exchange, but didn't mention it. "I apologize, it wasn't my place to ask."

"No," Percy glared coolly back at her. "It was not."

"Anyway, I suppose it's getting quite late," She looked at a timer hanging on the far wall. "You must all be exhausted."

Hendrix grinned at her. "Don't forget to give good ol'Rick a comfortable pillow, missus Lail." Richard's shoulders drooped as Hendrix slapped him on the back.

"You'll be visiting again tomorrow, I hope?"

He gave a flamboyantly over-the-top bow at the waist. "Bright and early, missus Lail!"

"Then you best be off, Hendrix."

Hendrix waived goodbye and saw himself out. Richard, Jaideen, and Perseus bid each other good night and went to their designated sleeping areas (Richard the most reluctant of them all).

Percy closed the door to the guest room and flopped down onto the bed with a sigh. He flashed his clothes into a pair of pajamas and resolved to take a nice, long shower in the morning. He hadn't had one in ages, and it seemed like a wonderful idea to just stand under the showerhead and let the warm water rain down onto his back for sweet relief.

* * *

The first thing Percy did when he got out of bed the next morning was take a shower. He conjured himself a toothbrush, grabbed some of the toothpaste hanging in a dispenser on the wall and brushed his teeth as the water rained down from a large, rectangular section of the bathroom ceiling. Apparently, in this day and age, shower heads where overrated, so they figured that having entire ceilings as water dispensers were better. The shower itself was sectioned off to the side of the bathroom, by a rectangular window. There were glass panes surrounding the shower and tiled floor, and there was a glowing cabinet that contained all the necessary shower products one would need. All you had to do was press a button to open the cabinet-which was apparently waterproof to prevent rusting-and voilà, there you have it folks: shampoo! Among other things.

So the shower was wonderful-especially when you could choose to mist the water with lavender-and he really felt refreshed when he stepped out. He figured that he could just dry himself with his powers, but decided that he would humor his nostalgia and dry up the mortal way, so he grabbed a towel, wrapped it around his waist, and grabbed another one to dry his hair with. He stepped out of the bathroom while rubbing at his head with the small towel, eyes closed in bliss as he massaged his scalp.

"I see that you're enjoying yourself, brother Perseus, but I need you to dress quickly. We have much to discuss."

Percy snapped his eyes open and summoned Anaklusmos, pointing it towards the intruder.

He didn't expect to see who he saw. _EVER_.


End file.
